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After the rejection of a number of countries: The Executive Council of the African Union decides to refer the issue of granting the Israeli entity an observer status to the African Summit next February.

Pulbished on:

Addis Ababa, October 16, 2021 (LANA) - The Executive Council of the African Union decided to refer the issue of granting the Israeli entity the status of an observer member in the union, to the African summit scheduled for next February, after the rejection of many African countries, including Libya and Algeria.

This came during a meeting of the Executive Council in its 39th regular session, which was held last Thursday and Friday in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, in the presence of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation for Political Affairs, Mohamed Khalil Issa.

Sources close to the meeting stated to the Libyan News Agency “Lana” that the Executive Council of the African Union, at the conclusion of its meetings, decided to accept or refuse to grant Israel the status of an observer member in the Union, and decided to refer the matter to the African summit scheduled to be held next February, after differing positions among member states on the issue. The subject, which prompted the session's presidency to propose deferring the matter to be presented to the leaders of African countries at their next summit.

Algerian media quoted Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra as saying that the Executive Council of the African Union studied the issue at the suggestion of Algeria and Nigeria and was supported by the majority of African foreign ministers.

Lamamra affirmed that the foreign ministers agreed to present the issue to the summit of the heads of state of the Union, expressing hope that the summit would be a correct beginning for Africa worthy of its history and not support an irreversible division in the future.

In the same context, Sudan affirmed its rejection of the decision of the Chairperson of the African Commission, Moussa Faki, to grant the Israeli entity observer status without consulting with member states.

The Sudanese Foreign Ministry said in an official statement, "We affirm that the ministry's work is based on institutionalization, and that its position is clear regarding the attempt to give Israel the status of an observer member of the African Union before consulting with member states, and that this matter created a dispute between the Commission and the members."

The group of African countries, including Libya, had rejected in a statement last August the decision of the African Union Commission to grant the Israeli entity an observer member for not consulting with it and demanded its cancellation.

Arab and African media quoted their correspondents in the Ethiopian capital - the headquarters of the African Union - (that the embassies of Libya, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Tunisia, Djibouti and Mauritania in Addis Ababa submitted a verbal note to the Chairman of the African Union Commission, "Moussa Faki" in this regard.

A statement signed by the ambassadors of these countries called on the Chairperson of the Commission to include this issue on the next session of the Council’s work, stressing the rejection of this step in light of the Union’s support for the Palestinian cause.

The statement clarified that the request of the Israeli entity was not considered in accordance with the union system, which represents an unacceptable procedural and political violation by the commission chairperson of his discretion.

Other African countries have announced their rejection of the decision to include Israel as an observer member of the African Union: South Africa, Eritrea, Senegal, Tanzania, Niger, Gabon, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Liberia, Mali and Seychelles.

These countries also joined the movement headed by Algeria, which aims to prevent the occupying power from granting an observer status in the African Union.

=Lana=