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Rabat- The Algeria-backed Polisario Front has once again accused Morocco and France of hatching plots against the separatist organization.
The so-called Minister of Foreign Affairs of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), Mohamed Salem Ould Salek, has expressed anger at French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s statements earlier this month regarding the Africa-European Union Forum.
During his visit to Rabat, the French chief diplomat said that the selection of participating countries, to be held in Ivory Coast in late November, must take into account “the realities of sovereign countries.”
You Don’t Know Where Your Interests Lie
The statement was interpreted by Polisario as evidence of French opposition to SADR’s participation in the conference. Pro-Polisario Algerian media also reported that Rabat and Paris were “conniving” to derail the participation of the separatist entity in the summit.
In an interview with Algérie Patriotique, an online media outlet owned by the son of retired Algerian army general Khalid Nizar, Ould Salek accused France of having a condescending attitude towards the African continent.
“We are hoping that France will not look down at Africa. This is how it behaves. The recent statements by the French Minister Le Drian unfortunately prove the tendency of some French officials to swim against the current and link their interests and those of France with the Moroccan monarchy, which goes against the aspirations of the whole of Africa,” he said.
Ould Salek argued that France – a member of the EU, which seeks cooperation with the African Union (AU) – is going against its own interests by choosing to side with Morocco.
“This [EU-AU] cooperation is based on the principle of equality between the two organizations and on a policy of fruitful cooperation for Europe as well as Africa,” he said.
The leading Polisario member the reiterated claims made earlier in September by Algeria’s ambassador to Brussels, Amar Belani, who said that joint conference, formerly called “EU-Africa summit” before it was re-labeled as the “EU-AU” summit, would see the participation of SADR. The latter, being a member of the African organization, would be allowed to attend.
These claims have been refuted by Moroccan online media outlet Le Desk, citing an unnamed source from Brussels, the EU capital.
“As was always the case with preceding summits, Algerians pushed for an inclusion of SADR, but no change was made in that regard,” the source said.
Self-Assurance or Self-Denial
In the interview with Algérie Patriotique, Ould Salek seemed very assured of SADR’s imminent participation in the summit. Presenting SADR’s absence from previous summits as a choice, he said he did not see why it would not take part in the upcoming event if it wanted to.
Ould Salek also claimed that a Moroccan delegation had rushed to Brussels in an attempt to convince the EU not to invite SADR to the summit.
“The EU officials sent the Moroccans packing, telling them to refer to the AU,” he said.
He added to the claim another when he said that “in Africa, only Ivory Coast, a country close to France, supports Morocco.”
This claim appears ungrounded, as Morocco has several allies in Africa who support the kingdom in the issue of the disputed Western Sahara, such as Senegal and Gabon.
During the first faceoff between Morocco and SADR in the AU since Morocco first rejoined the organization in late January, it turned out that the kingdom had more allies that the separatist force and its traditional backers.
When Morocco asked in July for a modification in a report’s paragraph referring to Western Sahara as “occupied territories” during a meeting of the Executive Council, 16 member states supported Morocco’s request while only six defended Polisario’s position.
Ould Salek presented support for SADR’s participation in the summit as a decision unanimously agreed-upon by the AU member states, even though only 16 countries out of the organization’s 55 members recognize SADR.
Still, the representative of Polisario, an organization that depends on the support of AU members with notable influence such as South Africa and Algeria, spoke with striking self-assurance.
“It’s obligatory to hold the summit in Abidjan if Ivory Coast, for some reason or another, isn’t disposed to do so,” he said, suggesting that “at least 15” other African capitals would be willing to host the event.
As for any attempts by states like France to block SADR’s participation, Ould Salek said with same self-assured tone that their endeavors are “doomed to fail.”
The upcoming weeks will prove whether the Polisario minister’s self-assurance has a solid basis or it is rather an expression of self-denial.
