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Rabat – The presence of the so-called Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) delegation in ongoing EU-AU Summit in Abidjan, is not a “problem,” says Moroccan Foriegn Minister Nasser Bourita, because “SADR’s delegation is invisible to Morocco.”
In an interview with Spanish news agency EFE on the sidelines of the summit, Bourita said that SADR “does not and will never exist for [Morocco].”
“The current trend is that countries do not recognize SADR. Do you know of any country that recently recognized it ? Yes I can tell you those who withdrew it, like Malawi,” said the Moroccan official.
The future will see other countries to withdraw their recognition of SADR, he added.
For the second time in history, King Mohammed VI is attending an event in the presence of Polisario Front’s leader Brahim Ghali.
The first time was in January 31 in Addis Ababa, where King Mohammed VI delivered his speech at the 28th African Union (AU) after rejoining the AU following 33 years of absence.
The King has been invited to sit with Antonio Guterres, the United Nations Secretary General, while the Polisario delegation joined the normal delegation seats, fixed in an alphabetical order.
Bourita affirmed that Morocco will not sign any document with the SADR. “There is nothing to sign here, it is just about adoptions of verbal agreements without signatures.”
During the interview, the Moroccan official also said that “Morocco has taken an offensive step to never leave the chair empty,” referring to Morocco’s previous policy of being absent from events attended by the Polisario Front.
“We must never allow opponents to advance their thesis,” said Bourita. He added that Morocco “will explain its reasons and convince the AU’s countries of its position.”
The official said that, for SADR, the African Union was a “land in which they felt comfortable. They could say what they wanted and they had a broader scope in which they spoke.” This is the reason why Morocco has returned to the African Union. The kingdom aims to not let Polisario continue to commit “aberrations” by claiming that the Western Sahara “is a state.”
“Now the battle is being fought in the AU,” despite the fact that “the war was waged by Algeria, the chaperone of the SADR.”
“What matters for Morocco is the African agenda,” Bourita concluded, recalling how Morocco “continues to be one of the most notable partner for the EU in migration, security, development issues as well as in fighting against climate change problems in Africa.”
