President Mubarak highlights King Hassan II's role in defending Jerusalem

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak praised the role played by Morocco's King Hassan II in the defense of the holy of city of Jerusalem.

President Mubarak made the statement while receiving members of the permanent bureau of the Arab press union. He underlined that the city of Jerusalem will remain on top of Arab, Islamic and Christian concerns.

King Hassan II chaired on July 29-30 in Casablanca the 17th session of the Jerusalem Committee, which called on the Islamic countries to stop normalizing relations with Israel until it abides by international resolutions regarding the city.

Touching on Moroccan-Egyptian relations following the visit that King Hassan II paid to Egypt last May, President Mubarak highlighted the accord on the creation of a free trade area between the two states. Such an accord and similar covenants concluded with other Arab states are a big stride towards setting up an Arab common market, Mubarak said.