SECRETARY-GENERAL ATTENDS FUNERAL OF KING HASSAN II OF MOROCCO
Press Release
SG/T/2198
SECRETARY-GENERAL ATTENDS FUNERAL OF KING HASSAN II OF MOROCCO
19990726 Secretary-General Kofi Annan attended the funeral in Rabat yesterday of King Hassan II of Morocco.The Secretary-General travelled to Paris on Saturday, continuing his journey to Rabat yesterday on a plane carrying French officials, including Foreign Minister Hubert Védrine; Minister of Economy and Finance Dominique Strauss-Khan; former President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing and the newly elected President of the European Parliament, Ms. Nicole Fontaine.
In comments to the press before his departure, the Secretary-General said King Hassan II was a friend and that he would miss him. He expressed confidence in the future work of his son, Mohamed VI.
Upon receiving news of the death of King Hassan II on Friday, the Secretary-General issued the following statement (also issued as Press Release SG/SM/7076 of 23 July):
"On behalf of the entire United Nations, I wish to express my deepest condolences to the people of Morocco on the death of King Hassan II. During a reign of almost four decades, the King made his country a rock of stability and prosperity in a turbulent region of the world.
"Above all, King Hassan's legacy will be that of a leader who brought his people into the modern age while upholding respect and reverence for its ancient and glorious Islamic and Maghrebi traditions.
"By serving as a bridge of peace between different nations and cultures, King Hassan made Morocco itself a bridge of understanding and cooperation between Europe and Africa, North and South, East and West.
"Morocco will enter a new century with a new King. I wish Crown Prince Sidi Mohamed the courage and wisdom of his father as he leads his people to a new era of peace and stability."
After attending the funeral of King Hassan II, the Secretary-General returned to Paris from Rabat with President Jacques Chirac on the French President's plane. They arrived after midnight on Sunday and the Secretary-General departed for New York early today.
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