An Angry King Pulls Out

Secure behind a 750-mile-long desert wall of sand and rock, the armed forces of King Hassan II of Morocco have gained the upper hand in their almost nine-year struggle with the Marxist guerrillas of the Polisario Front for control of the 103,000-sq.-mi. Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony. Last week, however, Morocco suffered a major diplomatic defeat. During a four-day summit in the Ethiopian capital of Addis Ababa, a majority of the 50 states in the Organization of African Unity agreed for the first time to seat the Polisario Front as a full member. An angry Hassan responded by pulling his country out of the O.A.U., becoming the first member to do so in the organization's 21-year history. The King's sardonic parting shot was to wish the assembly "a good ride with your new partner."

The decision by the O.A.U.'s 50 member states must have given the King second thoughts about his own new partnership with Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi. Three months ago, in an effort to prevent such a decision and to end Libyan support for the Polisario Front, Hassan signed a surprise unity agreement with Gaddafi. But his new ally proved to be no friend in need; only Zaire joined the Moroccan walkout.