Contact: Mourad Beni-ich, 571-214-0842

VIENNA, Va., Nov. 20, 2013 /Standard Newswire/ -- For Centuries, Morocco has always been a strong ally to the United States, and this partnership and strong ties go back to the time when the Founding Fathers of the U.S. fought the British army for their independence. King Mohammed Ben Abdullah authorized the U.S. vessels to use Moroccan ports to trade and to obtain supplies. Ever since, the U.S. had a special bilateral relationship with Morocco.

There is no doubt that the State Visit of His Majesty King Mohammed VI to Washington, aims to strengthen the strategic partnership and make it even stronger. The U.S. politicians and diplomat realize the importance of Morocco to the U.S. interests in the MENA region, as well as its National Security. The threat that Al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) poses in the region of Sahel should not be overlooked and with the political and social instability in countries such Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Algeria, Morocco stands out as the most suitable strategic partner that the U.S. can rely on to join efforts to exterminate terrorism in the region.

In the light of this Royal visit, nine former U.S. ambassadors to Morocco addressed President Barack Obama to "seize the opportunity" of this visit to emphasize on the "unchanged" U.S. policy towards the conflict in the Moroccan Southern Territories. The ambassador acknowledged that the Moroccan proposition to end the conflict is the best solution to bring and sustain stability in the entire region. This is true; it was clear to the international community that the "Polisario" front is allying with the terrorist groups in Northern Mali and have been assisting them to roam in the nomadic desert in hunt for foreign workers and also in drug and human trafficking. Therefore, the Moroccan proposal to grant a broad autonomy to the Southern Territories under the Moroccan sovereignty is the ideal solution to bring peace and stability, and the U.S. has to enforce it and use its powers within the international community and the United Nations (UN) to adopt it.

The ambassadors' letter to President Obama highlighted the significant political, social and economic reforms King Mohammed VI has implemented since 1999. Those reforms are not exclusive for certain parts of the Kingdom, but rather covering the entire Moroccan territory from Tangiers in the North to Al-Gaouira in South.

Morocco will continue cooperating and coordinating with the American institutions to strengthen the strategic partnership, and conducting frequent military drills between the Moroccan and the U.S. forces is a prime example of the trust Washington has always had in its first ally in the world.