King Mohammed meets Powell in Agadir

Morocco's King Mohammed VI received Monday at the Royal Palace of Agadir US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who arrived the same day in Morocco, first leg of a tour that will take him to the Middle East.

During the audience, King Mohammed VI, Chairman of the Al-Quds (Jerusalem) Committee, renewed Morocco's total condemnation of the deliberate Israeli military invasion in the Palestinian territories and adamantly decried the siege imposed on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and his close aides.

The king asked Powell that the United States spare no effort in getting an immediate withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Palestinian territories to enable President Yasser Arafat, sole and legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, regain his liberty.

Expressing satisfaction over President Bush's willingness to actively engage the United States in finding a political solution to the plight of the Palestinian people, King Mohammed VI, who recalled Morocco's role as peace broker, urged Powell to meet President Arafat, a meeting that could determine the outcome of the US Secretary of State's mission.

The king, who recalled that Morocco is a member of the follow-up committee in charge of activating the Arab peace initiative unanimously adopted by the Arab Summit --held end of last march--, voiced to Powell Morocco's readiness to contribute to reactivating, without any prior conditions, the peace process between Palestinians and Israelis subsequent to the withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the Palestinian territories and the lifting of the siege against the Palestinian people and their legitimate leadership.

Touching on relations between Morocco and the United States, King Mohammed VI voiced Rabat's will to further strengthen cooperation and consultations with Washington in all fields that have traditionally united the two nations.