King Hassan II receives US Congressional delegation

King Hassan II received Wednesday evening at the royal palace in Marrakesh (southern Morocco) a visiting U.S. congress delegation, led by Benjamin Gilman, chairman of the house international relations committee.

The US delegation, which arrived Monday on a four-day working visit, is composed of Bernard Sanders (Independent, Vermont), Bob Filner (Democrat, California) and Earl Hilliard (Democrat, Alabama).

The congress members were received on Wednesday by Moroccan Interior Minister Driss Basri, who renewed on the occasion Morocco's attachment to hold the referendum in the Sahara as soon as possible (that is to say before March 2000) after the end of the identification process of all eligible voters.

The Moroccan minister also told the US delegation that Morocco insists on respect for the rights of all people of Sahrawi descent to participate in the referendum.

For their part, the members of congress praised Morocco's efforts to promote human rights and consolidate the democratic process. They also hailed the progress and achievements made by the kingdom in all sectors.

Gilman and accompanying congress members met on Tuesday with Moroccan Premier Abderrahmane Youssoufi and praised Morocco's political democratic experience that brought to power a socialist-led coalition government after decades of right-wing rule.

They also expressed Washington's readiness to alleviate Morocco's debts, rev up trade exchange and increase US investments in Morocco. USA is Morocco's seventh-largest customer and 4th supplier while Moroccan debt towards the United States is estimated at around $1.1 billion, representing 6% of Morocco's overall foreign debts.

The US congressional delegation is visiting Morocco within the frame of a North-African and Middle-East tour destined to assess the Middle-East peace progress. The US delegation had earlier visited Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Tunisia.