Rabat – According to “a close diplomatic source” who allegedly spoke to Le 360 under conditions of anonymity, King Mohammed VI is expected to attend the convention of the Arab League in Saudi Arabia’s capital city. The same source said that the King had received a formal invitation to attend the Riyadh summit prior to his trip to France for health reasons.
The Arab summit, which generally takes place in March, was postponed to April over concerns that it would interfere with Egyptian presidential elections. The summit is set to witness a wide participation of Arab leaders, kings, princes, etc., with the objective of discussion pan-Arab matters.
Although the Royal Cabinet is yet to issue a confirmation of the King’s presence at the Riyadh Arab summit on April 15, the source reported being confident that the Monarch, as the acting leader of Al Qods, will be joining his fellow Arab leaders to discuss about the crucial and recurring problems confronting the Arab world.
The source recalled that Morocco had declined hosting the 27th edition of the summit in Marrakech in 2016, and that King Mohammed VI subsequently missed the 2017 edition in March last year, explaining that such factors are strong indicators why the Monarch will decide to join up with fellow Arab leaders on April 15 in the Saudi Capital.
Given its strategic and strong military relationships with Saudi Arabia, but also its constructive neutrality in the Riyadh-Doha diplomatic rift, Morocco is believed to be a trusted ally of many fellow Arab countries in the Gulf, and elsewhere.
King Mohammed, who was hosted yesterday by France’s Emmanuel Macron, has not been engaged in diplomatic dealings since his surgery on February 26 in Paris.
And should the monarch make it to the 29th Arab League summit, the occasion will be his first major official and state-related appearance in months.
There are also reports that the King will resume his Africa agenda after the Arab League summit. After the pan-Arab conference in Riyadh, and in a move to give some momentum to the now seemingly slow Moroccan diplomatic offensive in the rest of Africa, the same source concluded, King Mohammed will pay a number of visits to many sub-Saharan countries.
