Morocco's King Mohamed VI has invited Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to visit Morocco, MENA agency reported. Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri met the king in the city of Fes on Friday, delivering a personal message from El-Sisi. El-Sisi has also invited the Moroccan king to Egypt's upcoming Economic Development Conference in March. Shoukri met Moroccan counterpart Salaheddine Mezouar on Friday, and the pair issued a joint press statement. According to the statement, Morocco has reiterated its support for the roadmap adopted by Egypt after 30 June and the ouster of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi. Egypt has announced its support for the UN resolution concerning Western Sahara as well the Moroccan autonomy plan issued December 2003 regarding the disputed area. The statement also spoke about the bilateral relations between the two countries and their common positions on a number of issues in the region, citing Libya, the Palestinian territories and Syria. Shoukri arrived in Rabat on Thursday amid recent tensions between the two countries. A report about Egypt which aired on Moroccan state television in December described El-Sisi as the leader of "a military coup," sparking anger in Cairo. Moroccan newspapers have also recently accused Egypt of supporting the independence of Western Sahara, a hot-button topic for Rabat, due to the recent close relations between Egypt and Algeria. Algeria is a key backer of Western Sahara's pro-independence Polisario Front. Source : Ahram online
