The OAU and the League of Arab States (LAS) have continued to expand the scope of the dialogue begun as a result of the massive political support given to the Arab states by the OAU member states in the Middle East War of October 1973. The present paper highlights the relationship between the two organisations as well as some of the factors which affect such relationships. It also draws attention to some of the limitations inherent in regional organisations such as the OAU and LAS and their impact on the relationship between the two organisations. It concludes that contact between the two organisations increased tremendously over the past decade. Nevertheless, as long as they remained mere instruments for the collective realisation of the political objectives of their member states, the rate and tempo of the development of such relationship will continue to depend on the state of political relations between the African states and the Arab World. Diagr., notes, sum. in French and German.
