Western Sahara – Mozambique urges Morocco to respect principle of sovereignty

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Western Sahara – Mozambique urges Morocco to respect principle of sovereignty

12:00 CAT | 23 Feb 2017

Lusa (File photo) / Foreign Affairs Minister Oldemiro Balói

The Mozambican government yesterday called on Morocco to respect the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity in its dispute with the Polisario Front, which is fighting for the independence of Western Sahara.

Maputo outlined its position on the dispute between Rabat and the Polisario Front following talks between the Mozambican head of state Filipe Nyusi and the President of the Saharawi Democratic Republic (SADR), Brahim Gali, as part of the two-day visit which the latter is making to Mozambique.

“The question is whether [Morocco] will adhere without preconditions to the [African Union’s] fundamental principles of respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Oldemiro Baloi told reporters at the end of the talks between the delegations.

Noting that the political situation in Western Sahara dominated the bilateral talks, Baloi said that the visit also served to strengthen cooperation, pointing to the signing of a memorandum for political consultations to that effect.

For his part, SADR Foreign Minister Mohamed Sale thanked Mozambique for its support of the cause of independence in the Western Sahara.

“We thank the Mozambican government and Frelimo for their strong stand in support of the cause of independence,” Sale said.

The President of the SADR is visiting Mozambique at the invitation of the Mozambican head of state after the African Union re-admitted Morocco to the organization in January. Morocco left the AU (the Organization of African Unity at the time) in protest at the admission of the SADR into the entity.

Morocco annexed the Western Sahara following the departure of Spain in defiance of the position of the UN and most other African states that the territory belonged to the Saharawi people and should be independent.

Source: Lusa