AU-EU summit : Brussels still does not recognize SADR, says Mogherini’s Spokeswoman

The European Union has finally broken the silence regarding the invitation sent by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission to the Polisario Front to attend the 5th AU-EU summit scheduled for the 29th and 30th of November in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

At a conference held on Wednesday, 15th of November, and headed by Federica Mogherini, Spokeswoman Catherine Ray said that «participating to this summit and other international events  does not change the position of the European Union on the non-recognition of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic», reports EuropaPress.

The official then admitted that while preparing for the partnership meeting, «questions have been raised regarding the participation of such and such member, notably the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic».

«It's the African Union that invites»

And to stress the European Union’s position, the Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy stated that each organization is independent in creating its «respective list of participants» when hosting a meeting on its territory. A position, suggesting that the Polisario will not be invited to the next AU-EU summit due for 2020 and which will be held in Europe.

And to reassure the kingdom, an EU senior official said that «it is the African Union that invites, and the summit is organized on the African soil». Indeed, it is Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the AU Commission who invited the separatist movement.

The diplomat also hoped that the meeting would be of a «high level» for both partners. A wish that is addressed particularly to Morocco, especially since rumours sparked these days suggesting that the kingdom will be poorly represented in Abidjan protesting against the «SADR» presence.

Meanwhile, Jeune Afrique, declared quoting «a source close to the file» that the hypothesis is not likely to be true.

Speaking to a diplomatic source, the Spanish news agency points out that «the French government does not conceive a summit between the EU and the African Union without Morocco and also hopes that a practical solution will be found».