By Said Temsamani

In a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 71st Session of the United Nations the Moroccan Royal Advisor Taieb Fassi Fihri submitted Morocco’s official request to the AU Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, to rejoin the African organization.

It is worth noting that the Kingdom of Morocco withdrew from the then Organisation of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 over the admission of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic as a full member of the African institution.

“The Kingdom of Morocco has officially submitted a request to accede to the African Union (AU) Constitutive Act, and therefore, become a Member of the Union,” the AU said in a statement.

Rabat first announced its intention to return to the club in July, with King Mohammed VI saying his country wanted to “take up its natural place within its institutional family.”

“Through this historic act and return, Morocco wants to work within the AU to transcend divisions,” he added.

In his address to the African Union, King Mohammed urged the bloc to reconsider its position on the “phantom state” of Western Sahara, saying that a political solution was being worked on under the auspices of the UN.

“The recognition of a pseudo state is hard for the Moroccan people to accept,” he said.

The SADR is not a member of the UN or the Arab League, the king went on to note, adding that “at least 34 countries” do not recognise it.

“On the Sahara issue, institutional Africa can no longer bear the burden of a historical error and a cumbersome legacy,” the monarch said.

“It is with no small measure of emotion that I am addressing our great, lofty African family today. The Moroccan monarch stressed the fact that his nation’s decision to return to the AU did not mean it was changing its stance on Western Sahara.

Morocco will continue to be present in Africa and reinforce south-south cooperation to contribute to the development of the African continent and collaborate with American and European allies to bring peace and stability to this continent.

Committed defender of African integration, Morocco is an regional economic and financial hub, a hotspot for international investment in Africa. But South-South dialogue isn’t enough in itself. African development can only prosper with a triangular co-operation model, North-South-South.

Morocco is strengthening its political, economic and spiritual presence in Africa. This royal vision will certainly contribute efficiently to a stable and prosperous africa that will become more and more economically attractive to foreign investors.

Morocco’ s political influence is growing and so is the trust of the states it is working with. The kingdom keeps defending African’s cause, either directly, thanks to its participation in different operations to maintain peace or either indirectly, supporting, in all of the international summits, sustained efforts for human and social development in the sub-Saharan area.

Rabat’s membership bid must be approved by a vote of the AU Commission in order to be accepted.