White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner commended, on Tuesday from Rabat, King Mohammed VI for his visionary leadership, which places Morocco and the entire region on a very promising trajectory.
“I am particularly grateful to HM King Mohammed VI for his visionary leadership, which places Morocco and the entire region on a very promising trajectory,” Kushner said during a press briefing following the signing, before the Sovereign, of a Joint Declaration between Morocco, the United States and Israel.
Jared Kushner was one of the Joint Declaration signatories, along Head of the Moroccan Government, Saad Eddine El Othmani, and Israel’s National Security Adviser Meir Ben-Shabbat.
Recalling that Morocco is one of the “oldest and closest” partners of the United States, Mr. Kushner stressed that the two countries, which have just celebrated the 243rd anniversary of the Kingdom’s recognition of the United States in 1777, maintain relations which are “more solid than ever”.
On the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, Mr. Kushner noted that every US administration since President Clinton has affirmed its support for Morocco’s serious, credible and realistic autonomy plan.
President Trump has also advocated a just lasting and a mutually acceptable solution to the conflict over the Moroccan Sahara, he said, adding that by announcing his recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, President Donald Trump “rejects the status quo which benefits no one, and chooses to move towards a just, lasting and mutually cceptable solution, a solution that makes sense and which is more likely to improve people’s daily lives.”
«Genuine autonomy is the only feasible option but it will take work,» he said, adding « we urge all parties to constructively engage with the UN and move forward with negotiations.”
Kushner also affirmed that the US is preparing to open a consulate in Dakhla “to further advance diplomatic efforts and reap the fruits of Morocco’s tangible efforts in favor of the Southern Provinces and beyond.”
It is high time to place the whole region and its peoples on a “path of real transformation towards greater peace, stability and prosperity”.
For his part, Mr. Meir Ben-Shabbat, Israel’s National Security Adviser, expressed, on behalf of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his “deep esteem” to King Mohammed VI for his “courageous leadership and enlightened vision”, saying that he is “proud to be in the Kingdom along with an official Israeli delegation to establish relations with Morocco”.
He said he was convinced that the “links between the Royal Palace, and in fact all Moroccans, with the Jews of Morocco will constitute a bridge between the two countries, and one of the foundations of peace between the two peoples.”
The Israeli official said he was particularly touched by this visit to a country which saw the birth of his father and brothers, as well as thousands of Jews of Moroccan origin, stressing that the habits and customs of Moroccan Jews “are perpetuated” in Israel through the present generations.
Israel’s National Security Adviser stressed the “limitless possibilities” of cooperation with Morocco in the fields of aviation, creativity, science, health and agriculture, among others.
Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita, on his part, said that the visit of the American-Israeli delegation constitutes a “historic and important event”.
It is an application of the elements of the phone talk between King Mohammed VI and President Donald Trump, which contained “historic and important announcements” on the recognition of the United States of the Moroccaness of the Sahara, the developments in the Middle East and the revival of cooperation mechanisms between Morocco and Israel.
The Joint Declaration, signed before the King, will serve as a “road map on which the three countries will work at the levels of the Moroccan Sahara issue, Moroccan-Israeli relations and the establishment of peace and stability in the Middle East,” he said, announcing that the liaison offices in Morocco and Israel will open in the next two weeks.
Jared Kushner and Meir Ben-Shabbat, as well as Special Assistant to the US President and Special Representative for International Negotiations Avrahm Joel Berkowitz were received by King Mohammed VI.
During the visit of the US-Israeli delegation, Morocco and Israel signed four cooperation agreements covering visa waivers for diplomats, direct flights, financial cooperation and water management, while the Kingdom and the US signed a key deal to receive $3 billion in financial assistance for private Moroccan investments in Morocco and in Sub-Saharan Africa.