AUC official press release: ‘Morocco did not attend or address the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda”

July 28, 2016 at 06:13AM

The Spokesperson of the AUC Chairperson published on Monday a press release denying any sort of participation from Morocco to the works of the 27th Assembly of the African Union, heldp last 17 and 18th July in Kigali, Rwanda.

Here is the full text of the Press Release:

DIRECTORATE OF INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

Press Release Nº26/27TH AU SUMMIT

Morocco did not attend or address the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, Rwanda

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 25 July 2016: The African Union Commission seeks to clarify that the Kingdom of Morocco did not attend or address the 27th Assembly of Heads of State and Government that was held on 17-18 July 2016, in Kigali, Rwanda.

However, President Idriss Deby Itno, President of the Republic of Chad and current Chairperson of the African Union informed the Chairperson of the AU Commission, H.E Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, that he had received a correspondence from the King of Morocco, H.M. Mohammed VI, regarding the intention of Morocco to join the African Union (AU).

This issue was neither an agenda item of the Summit nor a subject of discussion during the proceedings of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

In this regard, the AU Commission wishes to recall Article 29 of the Constitutive Act of the African Union, and relating to “Admission to Membership,” which states that:

1. Any  African  State  may,  at  any  time  after  the  entry  into  force  of this  Act,  notify  the  Chairman  of  the  Commission  of  its  intention  to  accede  to  this  Act  and  to  be  admitted  as  a  member  of  the Union.
2. The   Chairman of the Commission shall, upon receipt of such notification,    transmit    copies    thereof    to    all    Member    States.  Admission  shall  be  decided  by  a  simple  majority  of  the  Member States.   The  decision  of  each  Member  State  shall  be  transmitted to  the  Chairman  of  the  Commission  who  shall,  upon  receipt  of the  required  number  of  votes,  communicate  the  decision  to  the State concerned.

In addition, the AU Commission wishes to recall that the AU Constitutive Act does not have any provision for the expulsion of any Member State of the Union.