Senegal, Guinea renew backing to Morocco in Sahara issue

Senegal and Guinea renewed over the weekend backing to Morocco's legitimate rights over the Sahara issue. In Senegal --first leg of a tour that Moroccan Premier Abderrahman Youssoufi started over the weekend to five African nations-- Senegalese prime minister, Mamdou Lamine Loum renewed during talks with Youssoufi, his country's commitment with Morocco over the Sahara issue.

The Senegalese National Assembly (parliament) unanimously also voiced backing to Morocco over the Sahara.

"Senegalese representatives from all political parties, expressed clear and infallible support to Morocco's legitimate rights over its territorial integrity," Ukhella Saidi, a Moroccan MP accompanying Youssoufi, told MAP news agency.

In Conakry, where he arrived on Sunday, Youssoufi voiced recognition to Guinea for its constant support to Morocco's territorial integrity.

"I cannot thank Guinea enough for its constant and active backing to my country's territorial integrity," Youssoufi said at an exchange of toast with Guinean peer, Lamine Sidime.

Guinea and several other African countries call for the exclusion of the so-called Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR/self proclaimed by Polisario) from the Organization of African Organization (OAU) and for the return of Morocco to the organization's fold.

Morocco quitted the OAU in 1984 to protest the admission of the SADR.

During the 1998 OAU summit of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), and during the OAU ministerial meeting, held last March in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), several African nations banded together to request the expulsion of the SADR.

During talks with the Guinean Prime Minister, Youssoufi voiced hope to see the self-determination referendum in the Sahara unfold the soonest possible within the total respect of the inalienable rights of all Sahara-born citizens to participate in the consultation.

The much-delayed vote is slated for July 2000 to determine whether the former Spanish colony retrieved by Morocco in 1975, sets up on its own as claimed by the Polisario or remain part of Morocco.