Morocco rejoined the club of African states , 33 years after quitting over recognition of Western Sahara, bringing one of Africa's largest economies into the fold and raising hopes of a softening of one of its thorniest territorial disputes. Capping a year-long charm offensive that mirrored a broader investment push into Africa, Morocco's King Mohammed VI was cheered as he took his seat for the first time in the Addis Ababa headquarters of the 55-nation African Union (AU), one of the few international fora to recognise rival Western Sahara. Rabat left the AU's predecessor, the Organisation of African Unity, in 1984 in anger at its acceptance of the phosphate-rich territory on Africa's north Atlantic coast as a full-blown member. However, African support for Western Sahara - which the United Nations defines as a non-self-governing territory - has ebbed as the importance of Morocco's $110 billion (€102 billion) economy, Africa's fifth largest, as a trade and investment partner has grown. At an AU summit this week, Morocco was re-admitted to the fold, with 39 countries expressing support and only 10, believed to be led by Algeria and South Africa, expressing reservations. "Africa...
from timesofmalta.com http://ift.tt/2jQppxh
via
IFTTT
No comments:
Post a Comment