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FOM Newsletter
March 2002Ancient
Medina of Essaouira to be Officially Proclaimed World Heritage.
Royal wedding in
Morocco is showcase of modernity.
Morocco's king weds computer
engineer.
15,000
Year-Old Human Skeleton Discovered in Rif Region .
Moroccans settled
abroad set up world council.
Morocco's foreign
debt withdraws to $14 billion.
Morocco's
foreign currency revenues reached $9 billion in 2001.
Amazigh is the
property of all Moroccans, king.
Morocco's 9th classic
rally kicked off Sunday.
Ancient Medina of Essaouira to be Officially Proclaimed World Heritage.
RABAT, Mar. 16 - The ancient medina of Essaouira (450 km south of here) will be officially proclaimed world heritage on Monday. A ceremony marking the event will be held on Monday in Essaouira in presence of UNESCO director-general. Moroccan communication and culture minister, Mohamed Achaari and the UNESCO chief will visit Marrakesh where they will unveil a plate commemorating the proclamation of the local and world famed Jamaa Lafna Square as humanity's oral and immaterial heritage. © MAP 2002
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/newsf22.htm
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Royal wedding in Morocco is showcase of modernity.
by Dominique Pettit
RABAT, March 21 (AFP) - Morocco's King Mohammed VI was to wed a 24-year-old computer engineer Thursday during a private ceremony at the royal palace that could do much to boost the Sharifian dynasty's image as a modern institution. The evening ceremony unites the king with Salma Bennani, an information systems engineer, who for the first time in the history of the kingdom will have the title royal highness, though she will not be queen. The title however underscores Mohammed's desire to grant his wife a role as wife of the head of state. The highly publicized announcement of the marriage by the palace broke with tradition in Morocco, which until now had kept royal wives hidden behind a veil of privacy. The couple first met in 1999, a few months before the death of king Hassan II, but the meeting was happenstance contrary to the
pairings arranged by the families. As crown prince, Mohammed, now 38, was a keen party-goer and since ascending to the throne on July 23, 1999 following the death of his father, he has forged a reputation as a modernizer.Thursday's private ceremony will be followed by a celebration on April 12 at Marrakesh with due pomp and ceremony in the presence of Moroccan and foreign guests. The daughter of a university professor in Fez, Bennani was raised by her grandmother in Rabat after her mother died when she was three years old. After taking a scientific baccalaureat at the Lycee Moulay Youssef in the capital, she studied computer engineering, gaining a major in her year, and then took a post as engineer with Omnium Nord-Africain, the kingdom's biggest private group. The palace's decision to reveal the identity of the king's fiancee and celebrate their nuptials so publicly was described as "revolutionary" by Liberation, the French-language paper of the ruling leftist Socialist Union of Popular Forces party (USFP). It said the move was consistent with "the modernity preached by the king" and that with this "historic and symbolic" announcement, Moroccan women would gain "a recognition that they had never clearly had before." "Before, the marriages of Morocco's kings always stayed buried in silence," wrote Moroccan newspaper Al Ahdath Al Maghrbia. "For the first time in Morocco's history, the king's bride is in the limelight," the daily added. The king's move to give his wife the title royal highness was another decision greeted in the pages of the daily press. "(It) is a message from the king which reinforces the will of women to participate in public life," leading feminist Latifa Jbabdi told the independent daily Al Ayam. "(Bennani) will truly neither be a hidden person, nor a reclusive woman, nor a human being denied her dignity," she added. dp/cml/ay/nb
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Morocco's king weds computer engineer.
RABAT, March 21: Morocco's King Mohammed, 38, wed a 24-year-old computer engineer on Thursday during a private ceremony at the royal palace that could do much to boost the Sharifian dynasty's image as a modern institution. The evening ceremony united the king with Salma Bennani, an information systems engineer, who for the first time in the history of the kingdom will have the title royal highness, though she will not be queen. The title, however, underscores Mohammed's desire to grant his wife a role as wife of the head of state. It will be followed by a celebration on April 12 at Marrakesh with due pomp and ceremony in the presence of Moroccan and foreign guests. The highly publicized announcement of the marriage by the palace broke with tradition in Morocco, which until now had kept royal wives hidden behind a veil of privacy. The couple first met in 1999, a few months before the death of king Hassan II, but the meeting was happenstance contrary to the pairings arranged by the families. As crown prince, Mohammed, was a keen party-goer and since ascending to the throne on July 23, 1999 following the death of his father, he has forged a reputation as a modernizer.-AFP .
http://www.dawn.com/2002/03/22/int10.htm
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15,000 Year-Old Human Skeleton Discovered in Rif Region .
RABAT, Mar.19 - A human skeleton aged more then 15,000 years was unearthed in the region of Nador (Rif), Moroccan ministry of culture and communication announced. The archeological excavations started in March 7 in the site of Ifri N'ammar (Asfou commune, Nador province) by a Moroccan-German team of archeologists. The archeologists found other items that will help them know more about the prehistoric people's living conditions in north Africa. Four children's skeletons were discovered in the same spot last year, belonging to a civilization present in the region between the 22nd and 10th millennium BC. © MAP 2002
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/newsf12.htm
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Moroccans settled abroad set up world council.
Local, 3/18/2002
A group of Moroccan expatriates who are chairing or are active in associations decided on Sunday to set up the World council of Moroccans living abroad which they named "Al Majliss." The constitutive assembly that brought together Moroccans settled in Europe, Asia and the United States of America debated problems encountered by Moroccan expatriates. Bouchaib Rami, who was elected chairman of the council, stressed the need for solidarity and coordination between various associations. Representation of Moroccan expatriates in the parliament and other institutions, the defense of their rights and interests are some of the claims that the council will be defending at the home country. In the host country and international organizations, it will uphold the adoption of a law on immigrants and immigration as well immigrants' economic, social and cultural rights. "Al Majliss" denounced all maneuvers meant to partition Morocco and brought their full support to Morocco in defending its territorial integrity.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020318/2002031834.html
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Morocco's foreign debt withdraws to $14 billion.
Mar 17, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) -- The Moroccan Minister of Treasury and Economy, Fathallah Oulalau, revealed that Morocco's foreign debt decreased to $14 billion in 2001, reported Al-Hayat . The minister added that the balance of payment account recorded a surplus last year, equivalent to three percent of the GDP. Arriving foreign investments into Morocco exceeded three billion dollars last year and liquidity reserves grew to $10 billion in the same year. - (menareport.com) By Mena Report Reporters
(C) 2002 Menareport.com , All rights reserved.
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Morocco's foreign currency revenues reached $9 billion in 2001.
Business. March 20, 2002
A recently published monetary report shows that the value of Morocco's foreign currency revenues from sources other than foreign trade reached over nine billion dollars by the end of 2001, which is the highest foreign currency earnings the country has recorded in the past few years, reported Al-Hayat . Tourism revenues totaled $2.5 billion and the foreign investments totaled three billion dollars in the same year. Morocco recorded a 43 billion Moroccan dinar (four billion dollar) foreign trade balance surplus in 2001. The foreign commerce-covering ratio increased from 64 to 65 percent and totaled $20 billion, of which $12 billion were imports and eight billion dollars were imports. - (menareport.com)
http://www.albawaba.com/headlines/TheNews.php3?action=story&sid=205774&lang=e&dir=
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Amazigh is the property of all Moroccans, king.
Politics, 3/22/2002
"Amazigh is the property of all Moroccans. It is a national wealth, a basic component of the national pluralistic identity," King Mohammed VI said Thursday. "Promoting it (Amazigh) is part of the modern, democratic society project which enhances national unity," said King Mohammed VI in an interview run this Thursday by four Lebanese papers, namely Al-Hawadith, La Revue du Liban, Monday Morning, and Al-Bairak. Diversity, which is irrigated by its Amazigh, Arab, Islamic, Andalusian, Saharan and African tributaries, is what makes Morocco's national unity so rich, he said. The Sovereign abstained from making any comment on the Amazigh issue in neighboring Algeria. "My principles, my cultural background as well as my political ethics, bar me from interfering with the internal affairs of a foreign country, let alone when this country is a sister state and a neighbour for which I wish the best of stability, progress and prosperity," he said. The Sovereign recalled the creation by Morocco of a Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture. The board of the Institute will be in charge of promoting and developing Amazigh Culture, in all fields, bearing in mind the national dimension of Amazigh culture, he said, adding "this culture is a source of pride for all Moroccans, because it is a national cultural issue, not a regional, group-based or political question."
The Sovereign equally stressed the character of Morocco as "a specific case, featured by its cultural diversity which combines the ideals of tolerance, moderation and openness on all civilizations." "The Sultans of Morocco provided sanctuary to Jews facing persecution in Andalusia," he recalled, adding "They (Jews) found in my country an environment conducive to freedom, tolerance, moderation and coexistence, along with mutual respect among the sons of Abraham." He recalled the protection by his grand-father, King Mohammed V - God bless His Soul - of the Jews, facing persecution at the hands of the pro-Nazi Vichy regime in France. "Another illustration lies in the leading role played by my late father - May God bless his soul- in the Middle East peace process, in conjunction with peace lovers among Moroccan and non-Moroccan Jews," he said. "As the King of all Moroccans, and as the constitutional protector of the rights of all communities and individuals, I will see to it that Morocco will never experience what you mentioned, especially that Moroccans have always been advocates of peace and coexistence." "They never were violence-prone-people. This is a fact and a reality, not merely a vision," he said.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020322/2002032233.html
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Morocco's 9th classic rally kicked off Sunday.
Sports, 3/18/2002
Morocco's 9th Classic Rally kicked off Sunday from Casablanca, with the participation of some 60 teams. The pilots, driving old luxury cars, dating back to the 1950's and 1970's, including famed brands such as Ford, Jaguar, Alpha Romeo, Aston Martin, Porsche-Carrera, and Lancia will cover an overall itinerary of 2100 km, from Casablanca to Marrakesh via Fez, Erfoud, Ouarzazate, Tata and Agadir. The rally is not a speed contest and focuses rather on regular driving on asphalt roads. The rally is made up of six legs, the longuest of which (600 km) will link Ouarzazate, Tata and Agadir, and the shortest (154 km) will cover Marrakesh-Oukaimden-Marrakesh.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020318/2002031839.html
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