Moroccan King receives written message from Blair

Morocco's King Hassan II met today in Morocco with British Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Derek Fatchett, who delivered a written message from British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

Fatchett said that his meeting with the Moroccan monarch tackled the peace process in the Middle East, the Western Sahara issue, the situation in Algeria and bilateral relations between Morocco and Britain.

Fatchett met with the Moroccan prime minister as well as Foreign Minister Abdel Latif El-Filali and Minister of Interior Idris El-Basri. Fatchett criticized the situation in Algeria, which has been plagued by violence against civilians.

He also confirmed his country's role in supporting the Palestinians and said the European role in the peace process is not competitive with the U.S. role.