Arafat hails Morocco's unfailing backing to Palestinian cause

President Yasser Arafat of Palestine hailed Morocco's unfailing backing to the Palestinian cause and the Moroccan king's unshakable stand in favor of the Palestinian people's legitimate rights.

In a message of congratulations to King Mohammed VI on the occasion of Eid Al Mawlid (Prophet Mohammed's birthday), President Arafat hailed the king's "unshakable position of principle in favor of the Palestinian people's legitimate rights, and in the first instance, their right to return, to self-rule and to the establishment of a Palestinian independent state with holy Al-Quds (Jerusalem) as its capital."

"In these difficult moments our Palestinian people is going through, we are in a dire need of a unified stand, likely to cement our ranks and spur the Ummah (Nation) go ahead to recover the rank it deserves and play its historical, civilizational and humanitarian role," President Arafat said, adding the Ummah will thus be stronger and more resolved to defend its existence and identity and to recover its sovereignty over its territories and holy shrines.

President Arafat stated further that the brave, resistant people in Palestine and Al-Quds are relying on the sovereign and on the whole Ummah to back their resistance on their lands and their struggle to defend their rights and sacred values till victory.

The message also carried wishes of good health and happiness to the sovereign and more progress and prosperity to the Moroccan people.

On the occasion of Aid Al Mawlid, the sovereign exchanged messages of congratulations with the leaders of the Islamic world.