orig. Mawl 0101; y 1E24; asan Mu 1E25; ammad ibn Y 016B; suf
born July 9, 1929, Rabat, Mor.
died July 23, 1999, Rabat
King of Morocco (196199).
On his succession to the throne, he introduced a new constitution providing for a popularly elected legislature but exercised authoritarian rule from 1965 to 1970, instituting a new constitution in 1970. He claimed Western Sahara for Morocco; this led to ongoing hostilities with the Saharawi guerrilla organization Polisario . In 1986 he became the second Arab leader to meet publicly with an Israeli leader. He condemned the 1990 invasion of Kuwait by Iraq. Under his leadership Morocco achieved political stability and some economic and social development, though there were accusations that human rights were not respected in his kingdom. See also Muhammad V ; Saharan Arab Democratic Republic.