Obama urges Morocco help on Mideast peace

RABAT, Morocco, July 4 (UPI) -- U.S. President Barack Obama has urged Morocco's King Mohammed VI to help bring peace between Arabs and Israelis, officials said Saturday.

"I hope Morocco will be a leader in bridging gaps between Israel and the Arab world," Obama said in a message sent to the sovereign in which he also urged him to use his position as chairman of the Al-Quds Committee to achieve "a comprehensive peace that includes a two-state solution and an early resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict," Maghreb Arab Press in Rabat, Morocco, reported.

In the message, Obama also reiterated his assertion that Israel has to "stop settlements, dismantle outposts, and remove roadblocks," while saying Palestinians needed to continue "to build up their security forces to confront terrorism, ending incitement, and reforming their institutions to build a Palestinian state."

Maghreb Arab Press also reported Obama called on Arab states to give financial and political support to the Palestinian Authority and to help it build on the Arab Peace Initiative.