Morocco, SDAR and the celebrations of Gaddafi

RABAT - The Republic (self-proclaimed) Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) was not invited to the celebrations for the 40th anniversary of the arrival in power of Muammar Gaddafi, said a statement from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs Sunday citing a note from Libya delivered to the Moroccan Embassy in Tripoli.

•     The Moroccan delegation to the ceremonies, led by Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi, had left the scene of the event on 1 September in Tripoli to protest against the presence of representatives of the SADR, including its "president," Mohamed Abdelaziz.
   
      A detachment of the Moroccan Royal Armed Forces (FAR) who was participating in a parade organized on this occasion "immediately cancelled its participation.
  
      The Moroccan government in the wake had expressed "strong protest to this amazing attitude, while all the assurances had been given beforehand, and asked the Libyan authorities necessary and appropriate explanations in response to this unfriendly act against feelings of the Moroccan people".
  
      "The presence of Mohamed Abdelaziz in the Great Jamahiriya was related to his participation in the summit of the African Union, whose' SADR is a member, held in Tripoli, August 31, 2009," says the note delivered by Libyan to the Moroccan Embassy in Tripoli and cited by the department.
  
      Mohamed Abdelaziz "was not invited to the festivities of the 1 September, although he expressed his desire to participate if an invitation had been addressed," he said.
  
      "States that were invited to participate in these festivities were invited to participate with official delegations at the level of Heads of State or their senior representatives from military and artistic troupes, which was not the case for 'SADR' in accordance with our commitment to respect the guarantees given to our brothers in the kingdom of Morocco," said the note from the Jamahiriya.
  
      According to it, "any upset which is caused to our brothers in the Moroccan government was perhaps due to the involuntary aspects of protocol, related to the size of the event and the high number of guests, which caused disturbances, things that occur in such events.
  
      The SADR was self-proclaimed by the Polisario Front in 1976 but is not recognized by the UN.
  
      Former Spanish colony, Western Sahara was annexed in 1975 by Morocco, which administers it since that date and proposes a wide autonomy under its sovereignty.
  
      The Polisario Front, an armed movement backed by Algeria, claiming the territory's independence and self-determination referendum.
  
      
  Ennaharonline/  M. O.