Moroccan king suggests "global alliance for peace" to save Jerusalem

(with photos) RABAT, Oct 28 (KUNA) -- Moroccan King Mohammad VI, in his capacity as chairman of Al Quds Committee, appealed on Wednesday for forming urgently a "global alliance for peace" to save Jerusalem.
The alliance should include all forces with conscience who believe in the values of peace, justice, tolerance and coexistence to offer help to Holy Jerusalem, the city of peace and the seat of faith, the king suggested.
The suggestion came in an inaugural address read on behalf of the monarch by Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Al-Taieb Al-Fassi-Al-Fihri at the International Jerusalem Forum.
The king commended the two-state vision for solving the Middle East conflict under the US-conceived Road Map as well as the peaceful efforts being made by the International Diplomatic Quartet "This vision provides a practical solution to the bitter long-standing conflict which claimed thousands of lives, inflicted extensive destruction and led to the displacement and suffering of millions of people," he pointed out.
"In its essence, the vision meets the targets of the Arab peace initiative which reflects the peaceful desire and good will of not only the Arab world but also the Muslim nation in its entirety," he said.
Meanwhile, the king warned Israel against manipulating its ideology into fomenting hatred, extremism and intolerance in the Middle East region.
He urged the world's major players notably, the United Nations, the European Union, the US and the Quartet to force Israel into halting the aggressive practices against the Palestinian people particularly in Jerusalem and return to the negotiating table.
He also called on the UNESCO and the World Heritage Committee to double efforts to conserve the religious and archeological sites in the holy city.
Regarding the International Jerusalem Forum, he said the forum coincides with delicate regional and international circumstances when the Middle East peace process came to a standstill and the world's major powers realized the urgency of putting an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict.
"The forum also takes place at time when the Israeli occupation forces scaled up their violations of the sanctity of Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Muslims' third holiest sites, in a bid to impose a fait accompli in Jerusalem," King Mohammad VI noted.
"The presentations of the conferees will help the international public opinion have a more profound understanding of the status of usurped city of Jerusalem in the hearts of all Muslims," he added.
The two-day forum, organized by the Bayt Mal Al Quds Agency, brought together notable figures from the Muslim world including Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Turkish State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc. (end) sf.gb KUNA 281711 Oct 09NNNN