FOM Newsletter September 2001
Morocco Week in Review
 September 8,  2001

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has called for optimizing women's assets, noting that Moroccan women have nothing much to envy their male compatriots in terms of competence and ambitions.  The king who was interviewed by French Le Figaro daily, underlined that for him the women's issue bypasses the Islamist and non-Islamist label.  He recalled that the women delegation that requested him to amend the Moudawwana (civil status law) included women bearing the Islamic veil.  "The Moroccan woman has nothing much to envy her male compatriot in terms of competence and ambitions.Women should be given the opportunity to optimize their assets," he said. The king likewise voiced rejection of any system of quotas that automatically dooms women to a minority status. "Selection should be made according to competence and not according to sexist demagogy," he said.  Asked on a possible radicalization threat in Morocco, the king ruled out such a threat

saying Morocco is well anchored in its traditions. "In Iran and in Algeria, there was a lapse of time when religion was no longer part of everyday life. Here in Morocco, religion is lived out everyday. Besides, the King enjoys a religious legitimacy, as he is the commander of the faithful," King Mohammed VI said. "I have to guarantee the freedom of worship. not only for Muslims. The three religions: Islam, Judaism and Christianity have to express themselves freely and in total security and serenity," he said, adding "I am Islamist, if Islamism means the respect of religion. But I am not fundamentalist. Conversely, it is stupid to accept the topless swimsuit or the miniskirt and at the same time pinpoint the veiled women." 

King Mohammed VI also touched on the Berbers issue, noting that the Berbers' claims in Morocco are not the same as those of the Kabyls (in Algeria). "In Morocco, The Amazigh rather than the Berber sensibility, is integrationist. I am Moroccan before saying I am Berber or Arab. There are Moroccans who are Berber and others who are of Arab, African or Andalusian origin. My father was of Arab descent, while my mother is Berber." "This reality expresses the Moroccan genius," King Mohammed VI said.

Madrid - Morocco's ambassador to Spain affirmed on Tuesday his country's commitment to repatriate Moroccan minors who illegally enter Spain, while launching a renewed attack on Spain's immigration policy. Abdeslam Baraka's comments are set to fuel an already tense dispute over illegal immigration that was triggered last month when Spanish authorities arrested a record 800 illegal immigrants from Morocco in a single weekend.   The ambassador told a press conference that "a minor lacks the capacity to decide to emigrate and we are ready to collaborate and take back our children". But he maintained that Spanish law encouraged Moroccan children to board fishing boats or rubber dinghies to make the perilous journey across the 14km-wide Gibraltar Strait to the southern Spanish coast. Under Spanish law, a minor who has illegally landed on Spanish soil without identification papers can only be repatriated if their identity is established, if their parents can be contacted or if the child requests to be returned home. If none of these conditions are met within a nine-month period, the child is authorised to live in Spain. Baraka also attacked Spanish entry restrictions for would-be immigrants, saying that they encouraged people to break the rules and sneak into wealthy western European countries. The ambassador's criticism also extended to Western companies, which he maintained were depriving developing nations of expertise by absorbing specialists such as engineers and doctors which had been trained at a high cost by their poorer country of origin. Meanwhile, Baraka insisted that Moroccan authorities had taken considerable steps to stem the flow of illegal immigrants on Spain's shores by disbanding 450 people-trafficking networks in Morocco last year. Police questioned nearly 21 000 people suspected of planning to emigrate illegally and confiscated 100 rubber dinghies over the same period, according to the ambassador.  Over 8 500 illegal immigrants have been stopped trying to enter Spain so far this year - more than double the number detained in the same period last year, the Spanish newspaper El Pais reported. - Sapa-AF

China has donated Morocco 5,100 tons of wheat to assist the north African country cope with the effects of the prevailing severe drought. The returns of the wheat sales will be deposited in a special bank account, dubbed rural development fund, that finances development projects and activities in the rural world. The collapse of agricultural production, especially cereals, entailed a drop of the agricultural value added of 9 billion dirhams (about $818.18 million) and an estimated loss of more than 52 work days. The batch of wheat was received last Friday at the Casablanca port.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has stressed that emigration is a real problem in Morocco, but insisted Rabat refuses that Spain say all its problems come from Morocco. "In Morocco, we have never hidden the emigration problem. It is a real problem," said the king in an interview published this Tuesday by French Le Figaro daily. "What we do not accept is that Madrid say that all its problems come from Morocco," he insisted, conceding that "mafias, which live on illegal emigration and drug trafficking, do exist in Morocco. This is true." "But in Spain, mafias do exist too, and they are richer than those in Morocco," he said. The king explained that the boats, which carry stowaways, come from Spain. "They (the boats) are costly and are equipped with hyper-powerful engines that make them far more rapid than the patrol boats of our navy," he said. Touching on drug trafficking, King Mohammed VI said the Moroccan traffickers hold Spanish passports and have bank accounts in Spain. "It is not Morocco that gave them the double citizenship." "Let us say that the responsibility is shared, but on the part of Morocco it is by mere lack of means," he added. King Mohammed VI also dwelt on relations between Morocco and the European Union, highlighting Morocco's geo-strategic location that makes of it the closest country to Europe. "Morocco's problems will be settled only with a genuine involvement of the European Union in the development of my country," the sovereign said. King Mohammed VI, who noted that Moroccan-French ties are almost familial, said Morocco relies on France to act as its attorney with the European Union. Partnership with the EU should be translated into a pact of co-solidarity, that is to say lesser than a full adherence and more than the sole merchant logic that is abusively restrictive of the future of our relations, he said.

RABAT, Sept 6 (Reuters) - Morocco has established a body composed of government officials and exporters to draw up an action plan to boost the North African country's alarmingly decreasing exports, officials said on Thursday. Abdelkrim Benatik, secretary of state for foreign commerce, told Reuters, "The plan is for the short term and should be implemented in 10 to 12 months." He said he was unable to give further details. Members of the exporters' association, ASMEX, have repeatedly urged the government to act quickly to save the competitiveness of local brands in international markets. An ASMEX official said exports rose by an average 7 percent and imports by 4 percent between 1990 and 1997. Since then the trend has reversed. In the 1998-2000 period, exports rose by an annual average of 3 percent while the average growth of imports stood at 7.6 percent per year, the official said. Exports in the first half of 2001 fell 3.4 percent and imports rose less than 1 percent, he added. "Our competitiveness is eroded by high costs, taxes, the strong dirham (currency) and bureaucracy," the official said. "This plan should draw specific strategies for each exporting sector, because the association feels that all our exports, regardless of their nature, are losing their spark because they are dearer," he added. Fruit and vegetable exporters, he said, claim government subsidies to cover higher production costs, caused mainly by drought, and to reach markets farther away, mainly in Asia. Clothing and textile exporters press mainly for another reduction in energy costs, which were cut by 17 percent last year, and the implementation of a 17 billion dirham ($1.47 billion) five-year plan aimed at doubling the 26 billion dirham sector, he added. "In addition to this, there is the issue of devaluation. The government says it will not devalue. That's fine, but they have to find another way to compensate for the shortfall," he added. The finance ministry said last week that it would not devalue the local currency again because a 5 percent devaluation of the dirham in April had achieved the intended positive effect on exchange rates. ($1=11.533 Moroccan dirhams)

(Souhail Karam, Rabat newsroom, +212-37 720065 fax +212-37 722499, rabat.newsroom@reuters.com))

Arrangements To Fight Illegal Emigration, Drug Trafficking Cost Morocco $2- $3 Million

Madrid - Security arrangements displayed along Moroccan coasts to fight illegal emigration and drug trafficking cost Morocco $ 2 to $ 3 million per day, said Moroccan ambassador to Spain, Abdeslam Baraka. The diplomat said at a news conference here Tuesday that Morocco was exerting huge efforts to fight illegal emigration and drug trafficking and was deploying 10,000 agents along its coasts. These arrangements cost the country $2 to $3 million per day, he said. He added that other measures were made such as the limitation of the power of small boats, the destruction of traditional shipyards, tighter control on international road transport, checking of the identity of small boats owner and people on board every time such boats go out to the sea.

Moroccan News Agency (Rabat) Posted Tuesday September 4, 2001 - Washington - 

US president George W. Bush has given the green light to the implementation of the protocol amending the US-Morocco agreement for cooperation in peaceful uses of nuclear energy.  The US president said, in a memorandum made public by the White House, that he made this favorable decision after he looked into the standpoints and recommendations of the various agencies concerned. The said agreement that was signed by the two countries in 198O will contribute to promoting "common defense and security", the US president said. He gave instructions to the Secretary of State, Colin Powell, and to the secretary for energy, Abraham Spencer, to make the necessary arrangements to start the procedure for implementing the protocol of agreement.

RABAT, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Morocco's King Mohammed has ordered judicial courts to hire translators in trials involving Berbers and Moroccan expatriates who do not speak Arabic, the official language of the North African country.  Some ethnic Berber activists welcomed the decision as a bold move in favour of the Berber identity, while others played down its significance. The Royal Palace said in a statement carried by the official MAP news agency on Friday that the king made the announcement at a cabinet meeting he chaired on Thursday. The move was taken "to create favourable conditions for the progress of trials", the statement said. Berbers lived in North Africa long before the Arab invasion of the 7th century. Their proportion in the 30-million Moroccan population is not officially known but independent sources say they represent the majority. Berber activists say all Moroccans are Berbers. The Moroccan constitution does not recognise Berber and the language is not taught in schools. Activists say the Berber cultural heritage is ignored and in danger of extinction. Mounir Kejji, a Berber activist, said the king's decision was "an audacious step for the judiciary". "It was senseless for a tribunal to exclude the mother tongue...Berbers who cannot speak Arabic were feeling like foreigners in their own country," Kejji told Reuters. "This will make trials fairer but what we hope to see is judges speaking Berber," he added. Another militant played down the importance of the plan. "Imagine this picture. A Berber at a trial, they bring a translator. A European at a trial, they'd also get a translator. In both cases, the judge is looking at foreigners. That's how the Berber would feel, a foreigner," said the activist, who declined to be named. The king promised in July to set up an institute to preserve the heritage of the Berber culture and coordinate the teaching of Berber with education authorities. That announcement coincided with mounting political pressure by Moroccan Berbers as neighbouring Algeria was rocked by riots between security forces and Berbers in the Kabylie region.

RABAT - The Islamic Development Bank said Friday it approved a $ 5.1 loan to Morocco to be paid back over 25 years. The Jeddah-based Bank also said it donated Morocco another $ 345,000 to be used in struggle against illiteracy. Morocco is currently trying to literate 584,000 people mostly rural women, the Bank said in a release sent to MAP. Morocco is trying to downsize illiteracy to 47 percent of its population by 2004.

RABAT - Japan has donated Morocco $80,927 as assistance in struggle against brain diseases.  The donation, extended to the Hassan II foundation of the prevention and struggle against brain diseases, will finance the purchase of neuro-surgery equipment for the emergency wing at the specialties hospital in Rabat. During the signing ceremony of the donation-related accord here Wednesday, Japan's ambassador in Rabat, Hiromi Sato, recalled that his country has co-financed some 150 local projects, in the frame of the Japanese non-reimbursable assistance program, and that other cooperation projects will be materialized shortly. These projects will mainly benefit the rural world, he said. 

http://www.map.co.ma/english/dispatches/national_news.htm

RABAT - A Chinese motorcycle manufacturer has settled in Marrakesh and is projecting to put its first motorcycles, made in Morocco, on sale by next October. The Chinese manufacturer, Wei Yang, that got associated with two Moroccan operators, will inject 4 million DH in the project. The group which chose Morocco for the first relocation of its activities abroad employs 10,000 persons in its plant in Shaaxi and manufactures 99 different types of motorcycles.

RABAT, Sept 4 (Reuters) - Moroccan tyre maker General Tire , which is 34.2 percent owned by Germany's Continental AG (quote from Yahoo! UK & Ireland: CONG.F), said on Tuesday it had begun formal insolvency proceedings after a restructuring plan failed. The announcement came almost six months after the suspension of thestock from the Casablanca bourse (^CASA - news) ,where it had been listed since 1995. ``In view of the financial difficulties to which General Tire Maroc is confronted ... it has been decided to proceed with insolvency together with a request for judicial adjustment in conformity with the law,'' the firm said in a statement. It said its deficit rose to 61.9 million dirhams ($5.4 million) in July from 54.2 million dirhams ($4.7 million) at the end of last year. A senior company official said the firm stopped production last December. ``A restructuring plan aimed at reducing costs to face international competition on the local market failed to reach its goals so the company ended up with no resources,'' the official, who declined to be named, told Reuters. General Tire, which holds around 23 percent of the local market share, has invested about 400 million dirhams since 1995, he said. He gave no figures for its debts. The company, which leads Goodyear (NYSE:GT - news) on the local market, has badly suffered from contraband trade, which industry sources say account for 60 percent of the domestic 1.2 billion dirhams tyre market. ``Contraband consists mainly in dealing in second-hand tyres,'' the company official said. Founded in 1958 and employing around 700 people, General Tire saw its stock price fall at 55 dirhams currently from its original listing price of 228 dirhams. Senior company officials have said that the listing of the firm was a mistake.

British actress Charlotte Rampling will chair the jury of Marrakesh first international cinema festival, slated for September 28 through October 2.  The other jury members include actors Rosanna Arquette, Elsa Zylberstein, Matt Dillon, John Malkovich, film director Sembene Ousmane, fashion Jean-Paul Gaultier, painter Farid Belkahia, Nouvel Observateur weekly director Jean Daniel and novelist Mohamed Berrada. The jury for the short movie will be chaired by actress Marie-Christine Barrault and will include Aure Atika, emma Caunes and film director Ferid Boughedir. Held under the aegis of King Mohammed VI, the festival features some fifty movies, most of them to be screened for the first time and for free. "Silence. on Tourne" by Egyptian movie maker Youssef Chahine will be screened at the opening of the festival while "Tosca" by French Benoit Jacquot will close the festival. The festival will pay tribute to French and British film directors, Claude Lelouch and John boorman, and to Egyptian actor Omar Cherif. French actress Sophie Marceau who was initially due to chair the festival will not be able to remain in Marrakesh for all the duration of the event, because of here professional schedule. The festival program features three chapters: films in official competition (about ten international movies), films of the world, screening movies from all over the world and especially from India, the Middle East, the Maghreb and Africa, and discovery films that explore new ways in the cinema. The festival, that also features forums, debates and colloquies, will award a Grand Prize, a jury's special prize, and prizes for the best actress and actor.

TETOUAN - The NATO Scientific section is currently holding here a meeting on the new borders of mass spectrometry. The meeting, hosted under the high patronage of King Mohammed VI, is the first held outside the NATO member countries. It is debating the latest innovations in quality control in matters of health and environment as well as the progress scored in mass spectrometry in the past few years. The meeting, attended by experts from the USA, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Italy, Morocco and Asia, will wind up on September 11.

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