African intellectuals call for the return of Morocco to the AU

Thinkers gathered within the framework of the African Initiative Committee meeting Rabat – Lahoucin Idressi Thinkers and intellectuals, gathered within the framework of the African Initiative Committee meeting held in Senegalese capital Dakar, Wednesday, to launch a call for the return of the Moroccan Kingdom to the African Union (formerly Organization of African Unity – OAU), which Morocco withdrew from in 1984. That year Polisario’s membership, the Party claiming independence for western Sahara, was accepted into the organization.
Intellectuals signed a petition which stated that they hope this appeal would urge leaders of states and governments to work on Morocco’s return to the family of the African Union. The initiative holders said that their motivation is the “firm conviction that Morocco’s absence from the African Union is not fair,” adding that they are “convinced that the Moroccan people cannot keep away from the African Integration battle.”
The appeal stated that the signatories are relying on “decision makers in the dark continent to find suitable solutions that allow Morocco to take its seat again in the African Union and contribute in building the United States of Africa.”They also called for the the petition to be signed by the largest number possible of thinkers and intellectuals across the continent, as well as Africans living abroad.
So far, 60 intellectuals, men and women, signed the appeal launched by the Initiative Committee, formed by about 20 members, including Senegalese Alioune Badara Bèye (writer), Nigaydo Ba (Filmmaker), Calido Cassie (artist), Abdulai Rasin Senghour (professor) and Selcarnini Gaye (writer).
In this context, outgoing Foreign Minister Mohamed Ouzzine told ‘Arabstoday’ that many voices “call for the return of Morocco to the African Union, last of which was the call of the President of Comoros in the last African Union meeting in Addis Ababa, where he stressed on the need to convince Morocco to return,” adding “however, as you know, our absence is due to the presence of a “fictitious republic” inside the African Union, which contradicts with the charter of the OAU, as its membership was accepted without any evidence of geographic of legal existence,” explaining that the acceptance of the Polisario membership was carried out in suspicious circumstances, which impacted the functioning of the organization, adding that the African Union inherited the problems that the OAU suffered.
Nonetheless, Ouzzine believes that “Morocco still has a strong presence in Africa through its influential role in the community of the Sahel-Saharan States; consisting of 28 countries, which is more than half the countries in the continent. Morocco is effectively engaged and strongly present in the Sahel community… and Morocco, thanks to the initiatives and vision of the king, has become an international leader in the south-south cooperation.”
Ouzzine added “Today in Morocco, there are about 8636 African students finishing their University degrees. In the last decade, approximately 16000 African students have graduated from Moroccan universities and institutions, and more than 25000 of staff have been trained within the framework of bilateral cooperation. These led to notable achievements instance including ‘Al-Ghayth’ operation in Senegal for artificial rain, and the innovative technology for planting vegetables, particularly in Djibouti, which was considered a miracle for several African countries. Accordingly, Morocco is present on the African scene.”