King Mohammed urges for settlement of Afghan crisis, unblocking situation in middle east
Morocco-Afghanistan, Politics, 11/1/2001

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has stressed the urgent need to seek a way out to the Afghan crisis, while taking into account the global reality of the tragedies that this region has been experiencing for so long.

In an interview with French weekly Paris Match, the sovereign said, when dealing with the strikes against Afghanistan, that he had repeatedly insisted that "there are limits to war" and that "the zero-risk does not exist in wars." "We should, therefore, work rapidly for a way out to the crisis, taking into account the global reality of the tragedies that this region has been experiencing for so long," he said.

King Mohammed who described the situation in Afghanistan as "deplorable" and the destiny of Afghan women as "infamous and intolerable," said a solution in Afghanistan "has to enjoy the unanimity of the Afghan people. It is not up to us to impose such or such a choice. Is it the king's return, the northern alliance?. It is up to the Afghan people to find the formula that best suits them."

After he recalled that Morocco stands with the United States in the fight against terrorism and that the 11th of September is recorded in dark characters in the history of humanity, the sovereign said he "would never have imagined that one can reach such a negation of oneself, of one's faith, of life. Those who perpetrated these acts do not have the right to say they are Muslims. Islam is Life. Suicide is negation, the antithesis of Islam."

To a question on a possible amalgam between Islam and terrorism, King Mohammed VI said any amalgam "is above all the result of ignorance," explaining that "all Afghans are not Talibans, all the Talibans are not Afghans, all the Afghans are not Islamists, but they are all Muslims. This is a complicated reality, but people in the West should accept to understand and to live this complexity.

As Anne Sinclair who conducted the interview asked him if he was worried about Islamic extremists in Morocco and if they should be fought, the sovereign stated that extremists should be convinced, that he really does not see where the Islamist danger is in Morocco, insisting that "nobody is entitled to give me lessons about Islam. Muslims do not have any lessons to learn on Islam from anyone. Muslims have the Koran and God. There is no intermediary. The only judge is God. I would not allow anyone to set themselves up as a conscience. It would be an insult to Muslims."

Dealing with the situation in the Middle East, King Mohammed VI said the Israeli government was ill-inspired to seek to take advantage of the present situation to radicalize and accentuate its bloody repression against the Palestinian people. "This is a true regression of peace and of the culture of peace in the region," he said.

Underlining that Morocco remains willing to play its pioneer role in promoting dialogue between Palestinians and israelis, King Mohammed VI said he is "confident that, on the Palestinian side, there is a genuine will for peace," urging the Israeli side to be prompted by the same will.

After he recalled that President Arafat called him last week so that President Bush, President Chirac and himself intervene to try to unlock the situation, the sovereign said "the Israelis should accept to negotiate, and not only to sit around a table and see who will speak the loudest."

Regarding President Bush's stand on the creation of a Palestinian state, King Mohammed VI said he felt "very positively" about the move, adding, "It is courageous on his part to take this decision now. The position of the American administration is clear-cut."

Previous Stories:
  Morocco extends urgent humanitarian assistance to Afghan population   (10/9/2001)
  Morocco voices attachment to wise, temperate handling of ongoing operation against Taliban   (10/8/2001)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search