RABAT/CAIRO, Aug 27 (Reuters) – Tunisia announced on Saturday the recall of its ambassador to Morocco following a similar move by Rabat on Tunis.
Morocco announced on Friday that it was recalling its ambassador to Tunisia for consultations to protest against the decision of Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed to receive the leader of the Polisario Front, the independence movement in Western Sahara claimed by Rabat.
Moroccan authorities have informed their Tunisian counterparts that Brahim Ghali’s participation in the Tokyo Summit for African Development (TICAD), an African-Japanese conference taking place this weekend in Tunis, had “deeply hurt” the Moroccan people.
Tunisia’s foreign ministry said in a statement that Tunisia maintains “total neutrality on the issue of Western Sahara, in accordance with international legitimacy.”
The African Union (AU) circulated a memorandum inviting all its members, including the leader of the Polisario Front, to participate in the TICAD summit, it was added.
The press release also indicates that the President of the African Commission has also sent a direct invitation to Brahim Ghali to participate in the summit.
The AU recognizes Western Sahara as a member but its independence and the Polisario are far from unanimous among African countries. (Reportage Ahmed El Jechtimi, with the contribution of Omar Fahmy, written by Angus McDowall and Moataz Mohamed; French version Camille Raynaud)
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