Morocco calls EU to plays its roles as sponsor of mideast peace process

Morocco on Friday called on the European Union to fully play its role, on an equal footing with the USA, as sponsor of the Middle East peace process.

The call was made by Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Mohamed Benaissa, at a press conference at the end of a meeting of the Mediterranean Forum in Tangiers.

It is no longer possible to talk of peace process in the Middle-East but rather of a state of war, Benaissa said.

In a message to the Tangiers Meeting, President Yasser Arafat of Palestine said "the aggression perpetrated by Ariel Sharon and his government is threatening peace and security in the whole region, a fact requiring a direct and efficient Arab, Islamic, European and international intervention to stop the aggression and put an end to the Israeli war policy against the Palestinian people, their national authority, cities and camps and political and scientific institutions."

The Mediterranean Forum, set up in 1994 by Algeria, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey, is an informal platform for consultation and dialogue between these Mediterranean countries.