Addis
Ababa - Morocco's King Mohammed VI has arrived in Ethiopia ahead of the arrival
of other continental heads of state for the African Union summit.
His
arrival on Saturday comes after news that the issue of Morocco becoming part of
the AU again is on the summit agenda. For an item to be discussed at the
summit, half of the member states have to agree to it, but for Morocco to be
admitted to the AU, consensus or a two-thirds majority is needed.
Rumours
of his arrival abounded last week but some commentators said this would not
happen after he was a no-show amidst similar rumours at the AU's mid-year
summit in Kigali, Rwanda last year.
Institute
for Security Studies’ Yann Bedzigui said it was likely that the king came to
show his commitment. “Every head of state from Africa is coming, so he probably
wants to strengthen his case,” he said.
King
Mohammed VI has been travelling the continent over the past six months to lobby
for Morocco to be admitted.
One
of the sticking points over Morocco joining the AU again is whether it would
lobby the continental body to expel the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic.
Morocco left the Organisation of African Unity, the AU’s predecessor, in 1984
out of protest about the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic’s admission.
The
country’s foreign minister Mohamed SalekOuldSalek on Friday appealed to the AU
not to allow Morocco to join, saying the country should oppose Morocco’s "colonial" occupation of the country.
South Africa is opposing Morocco’s bid.
