KING HASSAN OF MOROCCO WAS AT RABAT AIRPORT TO GREET PRESIDENT MOKTAR OULD DADDAH OF MAURITANIA, AND PRESIDENT BOUMEDIENNE OF ALGERIA WHEN THEY ARRIVED TO TAKE PART IN THE ISLAMIC SUMMIT CONFERENCE, ON MONDAY (SEPTEMBER 22).

IT IS IRONIC THAT IT WAS THE BURNING OF THE THIRD MOST IMPORTANT MOSLEM MOSQUE, THE EL-AQSA IN JERUSALEM, THE BROUGHT ARAB LEADERS TOGETHER. AN ISLAMIC SUMMIT HAS BEEN MOOTED MANY TIMES, BUT NEVER MANAGED TO HAPPEN. THE BURNING HAS PROVIDED THE CATALYST. AT THE INVITATION OF KING HASSAN THEY HAVE COME TO DEBATE THIS "CATASTROPHE", AND, AS THE KING'S INVITATION SAID, "THE JERUSALEM QUESTION" IN ORDER TO UNIFY THEIR POSITIONS ON THIS PROBLEM. EVEN WITH THE CONSPICUOUS ABSENCE OF SOME COUNTRIES, AND LACKING THE PRESENCE OF PRESIDENT NASSER OF EGYPT, WHO IS ILL, (AND WHO IS REPRESENTED BY A LEADING MEMBER OF THE HIGHER EXECUTIVE OF THE ARAB SOCIALISTS UNION, MR ANWAR ASSADAT); AND PRESIDENT BOURGUIBA OF TUNISIA, KING HASSAN HAS REASON TO BE PLEASED WITH HIS ACHIEVEMENTS.

A SURPRISED DELEGATE, AND A PERSONAL GUEST OF KING HASSAN, IS MR YASSER ARAFAT, PRESIDENT OF THE PALESTINE ORGANISATION, AND LEADER OF AL FATAH.

THE MEETING OF KING HASSAN AND PRESIDENT MOKTAR OULD DADDAH OF MAURITANIA IS THE FIRST IN NINE YEARS OF ENMITY BETWEEN THE TWO COUNTRIES. MOROCCO HAS BEEN MAKING STRONG CLAIMS SINCE MAURITANIA BECAME INDEPENDENT IN 1960 THAT ALL MAURITANIAN TERRITORY IS HERS BY RIGHT.

KING HASSAN'S INVITATION HAS BEEN INTERPRETED BY OBSERVERS AS AN INDICATION THAT MOROCCO IS PREPARED TO REVIEW RELATIONS WITH MAURITANIA WHICH IT HAS NEVER RECOGNISED.