In view of the central role of King Hassan II in promoting peace between
Israel and the Arab world, his role in arranging meetings in Morocco that
led to the Sadat visit in 1977, and his ongoing interest and active
involvement in the peace process, Mr. Peres and Mr. Arafat traveled to
Morocco to apprise him of the state of Israel-PLO negotiations. At the
conclusion of the meeting, the following joint communique was issued:
The Israelis and the Palestinians, recognizing the important role of His
Majesty King Hassan II in the peace process in general and the
Israeli-Palestinian negotiations in particular, considered it appropriate,
at this stage of the process, for Mr. Yasser Arafat and Mr. Shimon Peres
to consult with H.M. the King of Morocco. A meeting was held under his
patronage to seek ways to bolster and accelerate the peace process with
the aim of implementing as rapidly as possible the obligations contained
in the Oslo, Washington and Cairo agreements.
The following points were also discussed:
1. The drawing of conclusions from the recent difficulties and the
search for effective and reliable means to arrive at a lasting peace,
while ensuring that no situation will be allowed again to endanger the
peace process.
2. The development of economic cooperation between Israel, the
Palestinians and the neighboring states, in an effort to bring about freer
movement of goods and people between Gaza, the West Bank, Israel, Egypt,
Jordan and other countries, while guaranteeing appropriate means to assure
the security of all parties.
3. The need to afford the Palestinians the means to enable their
economy to take part in the cooperation projects of the Mediterranean
countries.
His Majesty King Hassan II, Mr. Arafat and Mr. Peres believe that the
Economic Conference which convened in Casablanca in October 1994 marks the
opening of a new and promising economic era for the peoples of the region,
and for the Palestinians in particular.
They are convinced that this momentum must be continued by implementing
the decisions contained in the Casablanca Declaration and assuring the
success of the Amman Conference to be held at the end of October 1995 as
well as the Euro-Mediterranean Conference to be held in Barcelona in
November of this year.
Israel and the Palestinians reiterated their real desire to reach an
agreement no later than July 1, 1995 on the second stage of the interim
agreement, including redeployment, security arrangements, elections,
transfer of powers, and other points contained in the Oslo, Washington and
Cairo agreements.
Mr. Shimon Peres and Mr. Yasser Arafat wish to thank His Majesty King
Hassan II for the opportunity to meet with him in Morocco, for his warm
and cordial hospitality, and for his untiring efforts throughout the years
in the cause of peace.