Iraqi issue concerns all Moroccans, minister

The Iraqi issue concerns all Moroccans and must not be used for one-upmanship, said Friday minister of communication and spokesman for the government, Nabil Benabdellah.

"The Iraqi issue concerns all Moroccans, and support and solidarity with the Iraqi people must be expressed in the respect of "order and calm," Benabdellah said in an interview with France's TV channel, RFI.

This is a call for those who might want to make of the extremely noble feelings of the Moroccan people a narrow partisan use, he said.

Asked about the relation between the Iraqi and Palestinian issues, the Moroccan minister said the creation of a Palestinian state should not be linked to any other issue, because it is a fair cause, adding that the Palestinian people has the right to an independent state with Al-Quds (Jerualem) for capital.

He further stressed that "democratization concerns peoples. It is built by the concerned peoples and can not be imposed."

Following the launching of the US-led war against Iraq, King Mohammed VI called Moroccans to show wisdom and adopt clear-sighted caution in these hard circumstances and expressed full understanding of the Moroccan people's "distress and affliction," along with his identification with their deep worry. The sovereign stressed that that it would be intolerable that issues of concern to the Arab nation, lofty feelings nurtured by Moroccans and the natural enthusiasm of youth and children, be exploited to sow turmoil and instability.

On the same day, the government said Morocco is "very disappointed" by the use of force in the Iraqi crisis.

"Morocco will not hesitate to stand by the Iraqi people in these difficult circumstances to alleviate their sufferings and defend Iraq's unity, security and choices," the government spokesman had said.