Re-election of Chergui as AU Peace and Security Commissioner: Recognition of Algeria effort

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APS : Tuesday, 31 January 2017
ADDIS ABABA (Ethiopia)- Algerian Smail Chergui’s re-election for a second term as the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Commissioner represents a “big victory” for Algeria and is sign of “recognition”
of its efforts for peace and security in the continent, said Monday in Addis-Ababa, Minister for Maghreb Affairs, African Union and Arab League Abdelkader Messahel.
“The re-election of Chergui is also recognition of the President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s action who has very much invested in the questions of peace and security in Africa,” Messahel told the reporters.
In this regard, he mentioned Algeria’s “effort in the resolution of the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea and for the settlement of the Malian conflict, as well as its current efforts for the restoration of peace and security in Libya.”
“Algeria has always played a leading role in peace and security issues,” he added.
Regarding the readmission of Morocco into the AU, Messahel said “there are criteria for the membership in the AU. The Union’s Constitutive Act is very clear about this matter,” stressing that Morocco “must fully adhere to the word and spirit of this Constitutive Act.”
“We have already said that we do not oppose Morocco’s admission into the Union. We had expressed it in the letter sent by President of the Republic to the AU Commission Chairwoman,” he explained.
However, Messahel said that this admission “should be without conditions,” adding that Morocco “has always made of the Sahrawi Republic withdrawal from the Organization of the African Unity first then from the AU one of the conditions for its return to the Pan-African Organization.”
“Today, Morocco sits alongside the SADR, which constitutes a progress that we need to recognize and take advantage from to preserve the unity of the Pan-African Organization unity,” Messahel said.

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