Morocco welcomes Powell's statement on mideast peace

Morocco on Thursday welcomed the statements made by US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, on the Middle-East peace process.

Morocco, which deemed these statements encouraging, called for intensification of efforts to put an end to the ordeals of the Palestinian people, the Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation department said in a release.

The department recalled the various calls made by King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds Committee, to resume the peace negotiations without conditions, based on the international legality and the land-for-peace principle with a view to pulling the region out of present situation of tension and helping the Palestinian people create their own independent state with Al-Quds as capital.

Secretary Powell, who was speaking at the University of Louisville in Kentucky on American foreign policy generally and Middle East policy in particular, stressed that the Israeli "occupation must end" and that "settlement activity must end" in Palestine.

Powell reiterated the steps Israelis and Palestinians must take to bring their conflict to an end, but was particularly clear that the goal of negotiations must be an end to occupation and the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.

Powell added that the United States demands an end to Israeli settlement activity, and urged both sides to take steps to "end the violence."