Moroccan party calls on U.S. to admit error in striking Sudan and Afghanistan
Morocco-Regional-USA, Politics, 9/5/1998

Moroccan political party Mouvement Populaire Democratique Constitutionnel called on Washington to admit its error and compensate Sudan and Afghanistan for the damage caused by its missile-strikes.

In a communique made public after a rally held recently in Rabat in solidarity with the Sudanese and Afghan peoples, the Moroccan party, which has nine representatives in the house of representatives, condemned the US bombings as "state terrorism" and an "aggression against the Islamic people."

The party's secretary general, Abdelkarim El Khatib, called for boycotting U.S. products and for raising funds to help Sudan rebuild the pharmaceutical plant destroyed by the US strike.

For his part, the Sudanese ambassador to Morocco, Abou Zaid Hassan Abou Zaied, who attended the rally, said Washington has been adopting an anti-Sudan stance since president Omar Bashir took power in 1989. He also ascribed the attack to President Clinton's sex scandals.

A similar rally was staged last weekend by Moroccan trade union "Confederation Democratique du Travail" (CDT/close to the Socialist Party).

The CDT chief, Noubir Amaoui, called on Arabs to react against the U.S. missile attacks and policy toward Arabs. Amaoui also denounced the embargo imposed on the Libyan and Iraqi peoples and urged the world democratic forces to take a firm stand against the American attacks.

Another Moroccan party, the Social Democratic Movement (MDS/Opposition), also voiced deep concern over the U.S. missile attacks.

The Moroccan MDS party released a statement in which it voiced solidarity with the two Muslim countries and called on the Arab League, the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the international community "to take measures against the state terrorism so that no country ventures to substitute the United Nations or the Security Council to secure international peace and security."

The MDS stressed the need to combat terrorism in all its forms worldwide on the basis of international law.

"The terrorism which the American authorities want to uproot is fueled by Washington's passivity in the Middle-East and the Israeli daily violations in Al-Quds (Jerusalem) and occupied Arab territories," the Moroccan party said.

The Arab League, which convened last month an emergency meeting, condemned the American strikes against the pharmaceutical plant in northern Khartoum and called the United States to "respect international legality and cease similar acts that ignite feelings of indignation among people and encourage violence and counter-violence."

The US raided on August 20 the Al-Shifaa plant in northern Khartoum, alleging that it was making chemical weapons, and areas in Afghanistan, claiming they are strongholds of "terrorists."

The Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Arab League called on the security council to send a fact-finding mission to Sudan to decide whether the targeted pharmaceutical plant produces chemical weapons.

The USA launched military strikes against Sudan and Afghanistan following the twin bombings of its embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.

Previous Stories:
  Sudan demands condemnation of US shelling at Non-Aligned Movement summit   (9/2/1998)
  Sudan adheres to inspection call for US-raided factory   (9/1/1998)
  Arab reaction to U.S. attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan sites   (8/21/1998)

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