Morocco's FM meets US Under-Secretary of State for Middle East

Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation held on Wednesday evening a work session at the US state department with under-secretary of state for the middle east, William Burns.

The two officials reviewed bilateral issues, the problem of terrorism and other issues pertaining to the situation in the middle east, in north Africa, in Africa and in the Mediterranean.

Burns expressed the US appreciation for Morocco's stance regarding the struggle against terrorism, Benaissa told MAP recalling that the Kingdom was very active in the UN efforts to draft anti-terrorism resolutions. The US official also underscored the importance that Washington grants to friendship with Morocco and to the role that the Kingdom can play in establishing peace, stability and co-existence in its region, and particularly in the middle east, in view of its credibility and its precious network of contacts with all parties concerned with peace in the Middle east.

The Moroccan side stressed that settling regional conflicts, mainly the Arab-Israeli one, will bring a significant contribution to the international anti-terrorism efforts.

Morocco's ambassador in Washington, Abdellah Maaroufi, and US ambassador in Rabat, Margaret Tutwiller attended the meeting.

Coming from Brussels where he took part in the Euro-Mediterranean ministerial conference, the head of the Moroccan diplomacy will hold in the US federal capital meetings with top officials at the US administration and congress. He is also scheduled to meet US president George W. Bush, secretary of state Colin Powell and the president's advisor for national security, Condoleeza Rice.

He will then head to New York where he will lead the Moroccan delegation to the United Nations general assembly.