Nigeria will keep faith with Western Sahara – Buhari
The president made the pledge on Friday in Abuja when he granted audience to Mohammed Salem Quld Salek, SADR Minister of Foreign Affairs.
He assured that outstanding issues on self-determination for the SADR would be scrupulously attended to.
“The issue first came up when I was in office as military head of state.
“After I left government, Nigeria remained steadfast on it.
“In my maiden outing at the UN General Assembly last September, the issue of Sahrawi was in my speech.
“You have no cause to doubt our commitment. We stand with our African Union colleagues on this issue.
“Nigeria will maintain focus till everything is finally resolved positively,’’ he said
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Salek is visiting Abuja as Special Envoy of President Mohammed Abdelaziz of SADR.
He said that his country would never forget the role Nigeria and its then military head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari played in recognising his country in 1984, when it sought self-determination from Morocco.
“It paved the way for the UN to adopt several key resolutions on Western Sahara, elaborating a peace plan.
“History is now repeating itself, as you are the President of Nigeria at a time the Sahrawi issue is being put on the front burner again,’’ he said.
The Special Envoy told the President that his country needed special push from Nigeria again, as it received in 1984, “to accelerate matters.”
According to Salek, Nigeria has helped several African countries to achieve independence, noting that SADR is the only pending matter on the continent.
NAN reports that since its inception, the SADR had been recognised by over 80 countries around the world.
It became a full member of the OAU in 1984.
The country is a founding member of the AU.
