Morocco refuses to join any African meeting

Formal sources told ArabicNews.com that Morocco is committed to suspending its participation in any African meeting held within the framework of the Organization of African Unity if the organization continues its support for a Saharan republic.

The sources said the contradiction between the OAU's recognition of the Polisario, the organization which is working for the independence of the Sahara from Morocco, and support for the United Nations efforts to hold a referendum on self-determination in the Sahara, calls for a political and legal outlet for the current contradiction.

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry had previously expressed its astonishment toward the declarations made by OAU chief Salem Ahmed Salem during a visit to Algeria, in which he spoke on the OAU's support for the UN's efforts to hold the referendum.

Meanwhile, the Moroccan Foreign Ministry's spokesman said it would have been possible to welcome this if the organization was neutral on this issue, then he denied that there is any protective plan in this regard.