Brahim Ghali at BRICS summit after Morocco's no to South Africa
Days after the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco denied its plans to attend and acknowledged the tense political relations with South Africa, the host country sent a letter to Brahim Ghali, secretary general of the Polisario Front, who landed on Tuesday in Johannesburg on a plane owned by Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune.
According to the official Sahara Press Service news agency, Ghali has been traveling with a delegation that includes, among other senior officials, the head of Foreign Affairs of the Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), Mohamed Sidati.
Over the weekend, Morocco's Foreign Ministry issued a statement particularly critical of South Africa. For example, he denied that South Africa had any plans to attend the forum, which also includes Russia, India, China and Brazil and is now subject to a possible extension.
In addition to ”multiplying, at the national level and within the African Union, notoriously malicious acts against the superior interests of Morocco,“ Rabat affirms that ”South Africa has always shown principled hostility towards Morocco and has systematically adopted a negative and dogmatic position on the question of the Moroccan Sahara."
The Moroccan government has denied having applied for membership in the BRICS, but has defended its ties with the other four members because it suspects that there is a hidden agenda in this matter. The South African government does not accept Morocco's declaration of sovereignty over Western Sahara, so relations between the two countries are at a standstill.
Morocco's rejection of an invitation to join the BRICS harmed the Ramaphosa administration. According to the Front press agency, South Africa responded by inviting the Polisario leader to participate in the summit activities.
Recall that in April Pretoria had managed to include the issue of Western Sahara on the agenda of a meeting at the level of deputy foreign ministers of the BRICS. The final communiqué of the meeting stressed “the need to reach a mutual and lasting agreement and an acceptable political solution to the question of Western Sahara, in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council (United Nations Organization)” in its paragraph 13.
The representatives of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa had expressed “their full support for the implementation of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)”. They also expressed their unwavering support for the UN Secretary General, his Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, and his efforts to advance the political process leading to the resumption of communication between the parties.
Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra.