RABAT - King Mohammed VI will begin a five-nation tour Tuesday to boost Morocco's presence in sub-Saharan Africa and to try to ease strains over Western Sahara, the territory it has annexed for nearly three decades.
With stops in Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Niger and Senegal, the two-week tour will be the king's longest since he ascended the throne in 1999.
A government official said the trip underscored Morocco's "great interest" in the region and its wish to further its presence there even though Rabat is not a member of the African Union (AU).
Morocco turned its back on the AU's predecessor the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1984 after the pan-African grouping accepted the membership of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), which claims sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Morocco annexed the former Spanish colony in 1975.
Officials here say they want shift the focus away from the Western Sahara issue to bilateral economic and cultural relations, as well as Morocco's growing role as a bridge between Europe and sub-Saharan Africa.
Nevertheless it is no coincidence that none of the five countries on the king's itinerary recognizes the SADR, Benin having initially done so and then withdrawn its recognition in 1997.
Morocco, which advocates South-South economic and technological cooperation, has forged links with several countries in the region, notably in infrastructure and housing.
Recent examples include a planned road linking Morocco to neighboring Mauritania and eventually to Mali, and a major building complex in Senegal, two countries Mohammed has visited previously.
Morocco has invested in Mauritania's mobile telephone market as a partner with public operator Maroc Telecom, and in Senegal's commercial aviation sector with part ownership of a Senegalese airline by Royal Air Maroc. Both countries are home to large Moroccan business communities.
Rabat awards scholarships to students from many countries - notably Gabon, which receives about 50 each year - and helps train African managers and civil servants.
Mohammed VI will clinch a number of new bilateral accords in trade, which is minimal next to Morocco's commercial deals with Europe. A free trade accord is under negotiation with Gabon.
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