It is hard to believe that during his visit to Rabat, the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union did not talk to Moroccan officials about the Sahara conflict just three weeks before the Mauritania summit. According to a press release issued after Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union Moussa Faki Mahamat visited Morocco, the Western Sahara conflict was not at the heart of the Chadian diplomat's discussions with Moroccan officials. «As part of the follow-up on the relevant decisions of the policy organs of the African Union and his regular interactions with the Heads of State and Government of the Member States on issues related to the continental agenda», wrote the communiqué made public the 8th of June describing the AU diplomat's trip to the Kingdom. The document, however, completely ignored the «detailed report» Faki is expected to present at the continental organization's 31st summit, to be held on July the 1st and 2nd in Mauritania. On the other hand, the press release argues that discussions were «an opportunity to take stock of the integration efforts at continental level, particularly through the African Continental Free Trade Area and other related projects, and at regional level, through the reactivation of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU)». For the record, at the African Union-European Union summit, held in November in Abidjan, King Mohammed VI officially announced that the AMU «was dying». Did Faki really meet King Mohammed VI ? «His Majesty King Mohammed VI and other Moroccan interlocutors reiterated the full support of Morocco for the reform process of the African Union and the realization of its financial autonomy. Morocco is a member of the group of Finance Ministers responsible for overseeing the financial aspects of the reform (F15)», says the same source. In Morocco, however, no official communiqué has referred to Faki's supposed meeting with King Mohammed VI. In November 2017, King Mohammed VI granted an audience to Moussa Faki during his visit to Morocco two weeks before the AU-EU summit. On Tuesday, 5th of June, Faki arrived in Rabat where he was received at the airport by Moroccan Foreign Minister, Nasser Bourita. The two men then held talks for almost three hours. He was taken to the Royal Palace where the Sovereign hosted an Iftar attended by Gabonese President Ali Bongo. The next day, the Chadian politician was invited to another Iftar that was attended by the King's councilor Ali El Himma and by the three ministers, Nasser Bourita, Mohamed Boussaid, Moulay Hafid Elalamy as well as OCP Director Mustapha Terrab. In Rabat, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission also met Prime Minister and the presidents of the House of Representatives and the House of Councilors.
