Morocco replied to Annan's proposals on Sahara

Morocco has given its answer to the new proposals made by the United Nations secretary-general to relaunch the referendum process in the Sahara, Moroccan foreign minister, Abdellatif Filali said.

"Morocco gave its reply to Kofi Annan's proposals. We cannot tell more for the very simple reason that the reply should be, first, submitted to the U.N. security council," filali told French RFI radio station.

Annan is currently on a North African tour in a bid to put on track a much-delayed vote, proposed in the 1980's by Rabat to determine whether the former Spanish colony sets up on its own as claimed by the Polisario, or be incorporated into Morocco.

Annan is proposing his own arbitration to settle the issue of 65,000 Sahrawis, belonging to contested tribes, that the Polisario refuses to identify as would-be voters in the referendum.

The Moroccan foreign minister recalled that Rabat has been supporting the referendum since 1981. He added that the referendum could not be held within the frame of the Organization of African Unity, because "some sides are against it."

The admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (Sadr, self-proclaimed by the Polisario) prompted founder Morocco to quit the OAU during the Nairobi Summit of 1984.

Filali said Morocco would have had no reason to boycott the OAU, had the organization not taken the "occult" attitude that resulted in the proclamation of a so-called Sahrawi Arab republic.

"We have nothing against Africa. Our participation in the French African summit (held last week in Paris) proves Morocco's presence on the African scene," he said. "(Morocco's) cooperation with Africa did not change. It rather developed to the best advantage of everybody."

He underlined that Morocco will not return to the pan-African organization, unless the OAU corrects its error (acceptance of the Polisario republic).

Filali underlined that Morocco has been closely cooperating with the United Nations since it took in charge the holding of the referendum. He deplored the fact that the referendum failed to be held up to the end of 1998. The vote is now slated to be held in December 1999.