Meeting With Prime Minister Ahmed Osman of Morocco White House Statement Issued Following the Meeting.

The President met at 9:30 this morning with Prime Minister Osman of Morocco, who came to Washington as the emissary of King Hassan to deliver a personal message from the King to President Carter. The Prime Minister was accompanied by Ambassador Benjelloun. The meeting of approximately 1 hour was attended on the U.S. side by Secretary of State Vance, Dr. Brzezinski, U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Robert Anderson, and William Quandt of the NSC staff.

Because of recent developments in the Middle East in which Morocco is deeply interested, the visit of His Majesty King Hassan II to President Carter has been postponed by mutual agreement. In an exchange of personal messages, His Majesty and the President reaffirmed the traditional bonds of friendship between the two countries.

The visit of the Prime Minister, who is the highest ranking official in the Moroccan Government after the King, underlined the importance which King Hassan attaches to his relations with the United States. The President took advantage of the Prime Minister's presence for a friendly exchange of views on a number of issues of mutual interest to the United States and Morocco.