1.
SV President Assad with Moroccan Commander reviewing troops from Land Rover
0.10

2.
TRAVEL SHOT PAST Moroccan troops on airfied (2 shots)
0.22

3.
SV Crowd surge forward around President Assad
0.32

4.
SCU President Assad and Moroccan Commander in vehicle arriving at dais
0.34

5.
SV Cameramen filing around dais
0.38

6.
SCU President Assad seated with officers
0.43

7.
GV Band leading troops in march past
0.53

8.
GV Troops marching past
0.58

9.
SCU President Assad with General Tlas(left) and General from Morocco saluting
1.04

10.
SV & CU Troops marching past
1.20

11.
SV President Assad with officers on dais
1.23

12.
CU PAN FROM officer salutes and leads contingent past dais To flag
1.33

13.
GV Troops marching along tarmac with aircraft in background
1.42



Initials DS/2127 OS/2149



Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved

Background: President Hafez Al-Assad of Syria watched a farewell parade on Tuesday (25 June) by Moroccan armed forces who helped in the recent war against Israel.

Before the parade started, Major-General Abdel-Salam Al-Sfreiwi, Commander of Moroccan Forces in Syria, said he was grateful for the hospitality his forces received in Syria. He said they were prepared to come back in the event of renewed hostilities with Israel.

Syria's Defence Minister and Deputy Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces Major-General Mustafa Tlas, praised the Moroccan soldiers for helping in the armed struggle against Israel.

The Moroccans, who arrived in Syria last summer, started to leave after the parade at the Faisal Nassif Air Base near Damascus. There were nearly 2,000 Moroccan soldiers in Syria during the October War. They went into action from the first day and were reported to have fought well.

Morocco was - with Iraq and Kuwait - one of the three Arab countries to reject the first Egyptian-Israeli-Syrian ceasefire.