FOM Newsletter November 2002
Morocco Week in Review November 2 2002 

US official: US-Morocco free trade agreement project reflects Morocco's strategic importance
Influential Congress Members Back Projected USA-Morocco Free-Trade Accord
US Names Team to Negotiate FTA with Morocco
Moroccan hospital to be connected to 16-hospital Mediterranean web
National Mutual Aid, Britain's Save the Children Fund sign partnership convention
China provides Morocco with $6.4 million for three new dams
Morocco's date production forecasted to rise by two percent
Morocco takes part in Eureka exhibition
Prince Albert of Monaco Dedicates Community School in Essaouira
Morocco readies to equip schools with NTI
Berber associations reject claims to write Amazigh in Latin transcripts
DIDDY'S ROYAL APPOINTMENT
Morocco prison fire kills at least 49 inmates
Time for inquiry into Ben Barka's "disappearance"

US official: US-Morocco free trade agreement project reflects Morocco's strategic importance

The projected US-Morocco free trade agreement reflects Morocco's strategic importance in the era of trade globalization, said in Washington Friday Mary A. Trace, deputy-chair of the U.S. national foreign trade council (NFTC). Talking to reporters on agreements that the U.S.A. plans to conclude with Morocco and five Central American countries, the US official recalled longstanding relations of "close friendship" and solidarity with Morocco. She went on that Morocco's strategic importance is due to the American business community's concern to be more competitive in European countries to which Morocco is linked by a free-trade agreement and the US' will to initiate a successful trade partnership with Morocco to serve as a model for the region and for other developing countries.  

Calling Morocco an advanced country in terms of bases for trade and economic exchanges, the NFTC deputy-chair stressed that Morocco's private sector is already active in the Kingdom's bilateral trade system and that ongoing reforms will create a favorable environment for wealth-generating investment with a large growth potential. The conclusion of an agreement with Morocco, she went on, will also consolidate the confidence of entrepreneurs seeking a stable and economically-viable environment. She also announced the creation of a council to promote the agreement project with Morocco by a coalition of economic organizations from Washington and other American states. Early this month, US trade representative, Robert Zoellick officially notified to the Congress that free-trade negotiations between Morocco and the USA are scheduled to start this year. The decision to strike a free trade deal between Morocco and the US was officially announced on April 23 during the visit of King Mohammed VI to Washington. Currently, the United States is party to free trade agreements with only four countries -- Canada and Mexico, partners in the North American Free Trade Agreement, and Israel and Jordan.

WASHINGTON, Oct.28 - Fifty-seven influential members of the US Congress, including senate majority leader, democrat Thomas Daschle, and house majority leader, republican Dick Armey, have voiced support to the projected free trade accord between the United States and Morocco. In a letter to the United states Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick, the members of the House of Representatives say they have "noted with great interest President Bush's announcement of his decision to authorize .negotiations on a free trade area (FTA) with Morocco, voicing backing to such "a liberal trade regime with countries that share our essential values and commitment to human rights." "We congratulate the Administration for reaching this decision with Morocco and we look forward to successful completion of those negotiations between our two countries," say the US representatives, describing the new understanding with Morocco as "a timely initiative with an important friend." The signatory representatives recall that Morocco is "the signatory to the oldest unbroken treaty in the history of the US foreign relations," and that the Kingdom" proved its commitment to the United States many times over the .past two centuries." "As Morocco's economy undergoes the transition from its traditional reliance on agriculture to the development of an information-and-service-oriented model, it is important to recall that Morocco has been a leader for the establishment of a rules-based system for global trade and investment," went on the signatory representatives, underlining the kingdom's potential in the telecommunication sector and tourist industry as well as "its strategic advantage as an export platform to the rest of Africa, the Middle East, and the European Union". Besides Dick Armey, Representatives Tom Delay, Republican majority whip, Phil Crane, chairman of the sub-committee for trade, and Charles Stenholm, high-ranking member of the agriculture committee were also among the 55 signatories of this letter.

RABAT, Nov. 01 - The US Trade Representative Department has named its negotiating team for the upcoming U.S.-Moroccan negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement, the US embassy announced on Friday. The team will be headed by Ms. Catherine Novelli, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Middle East. Most recently Ms. Novelli represented the United States as the lead negotiator for the U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement. Douglas Bell will serve as Negotiations Coordinator, and David Weller will act as legal adviser. The department also named nine functional team leaders to conduct negotiations in specific areas. The team leaders will lead teams comprised of representatives from other agencies of the U.S. government, including the Departments of State, Commerce, Treasury, Labor, Interior, Justice and Agriculture, as well as representatives from the Customs Administration, Environmental Protection Agency, Copyright Office and Patent and Trademark Office.  The team leaders were selected on the basis of their in-depth knowledge of their respective areas and their extensive experience working on trade negotiations. The team leaders are: Intellectual Property Rights -- Ms. Kira Alvarez; Trade and Services -- Ms. Cyndi Echeverria; Environment -- Ms. Jennifer Prescott; Tariffs -- Ms. Sara Sipkins; Agriculture -- Ms. Katie Nishiura; Labor -- William Clatanoff; Textiles -- David Spooner; Government Procurement -- Ms. Karissa Kovner; Customs -- Matt Rohde.  President George Bush and King Mohammed VI agreed April 23 to pursue a bilateral Free Trade Agreement. Since then, both sides have been preparing intently for the launch of formal negotiations, planned for early 2003.

A Moroccan hospital will be one of 16 Mediterranean hospitals, to be interconnected through satellite internet for data and knowledge trade between doctors and better treatment of specific diseases and remote medical assistance for patients. The project, dubbed "Hemisphere," was presented to the press Thursday in Palermo, Sicily, after a meeting of delegations from the 10 concerned countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Egypt, Italy, Belgium, Germany, France, Turkey and Cyprus). The US$ 2.3 million-worth "Hemisphere" is financed by the European Union, part of the "Eumedis" initiative. The network will allow real-time consultations between the doctors of the 16 hospitals, and the set up of a medical data bank. The hospitals will also set up a virtual medicine university to enable specialists to follow high level conferences. The network's data will be available not only for doctors of the 16 hospitals, but also for patients who move from a member country to another.

National Mutual Aid, Britain's Save the Children Fund sign partnership convention

Morocco's "National Mutual Aid," and the British "Save the Children Fund" signed in Rabat Wednesday a partnership convention. The fund will donate equipment and raw material to orthopedic workshops of training centers for handicapped children in Casablanca and Khemissat (Rabat province). The two bodies agreed to enhance their cooperation to provide the necessary help for handicapped children.

China provides Morocco with $6.4 million for three new dams

The Chinese government has allocated Morocco a $6.4 million preferential loan for the construction of three dams to supply drinking water to the country's rural regions, reported MAP. The first dam, located in Ifrane will collect enough irrigated water for 670 hectares of land. The second dam will supply drinking water to the population of Chefchaouen and the third dam will supply drinking water to the residents of Al-Hoceima. Last year, Morocco embarked on an initiative to construct nine new major dams and eight mid-size dams by 2004, in an effort to alleviate water shortages in the country. The agricultural sector in Morocco consumes about 80 percent of the available water in the Kingdom, estimated at 14 billion cubic meters. - (menareport.com)

Oct 29, 2002 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) -- Moroccan date producers are forecasting a two percent harvest growth this season amounting to 33,000 tons of the fruit, reported the Ministry of Agriculture. The majority of production is expected from the southern regions of the North African state. A good date palm can produce 300 to 600 pounds of dates per year, and willproduce for 100 years or more. Moroccan date consumption stands at three kilos per inhabitant nationwide and at 15 kilos per inhabitant in the areas of production. - (menareport.com)

Prince Albert of Monaco dedicated on Monday a community school in a small locality near the southwestern city of Essaouira. The school built thanks to a contribution from the principality of Monaco and BMCE Bank foundation is the 55th school of the Medersat.com project carried out by the BMCE bank foundation with the collaboration of national and foreign partners. After cutting the ribbon and visiting the classrooms and other facilities, Prince Albert distributed prizes to winners of a race held by the village children. He also attended a play performed by local children on the importance of electricity, drinking water and schooling in rural areas. On the same occasion, the BMCE bank foundation and the principality of Monaco signed a convention under which the principality undertakes to bring an assistance of 150,000 Euros to the construction of a rural community school in the Moroccan southern region of Taroudant. On Sunday, Prince Albert dedicated an Argan oil cooperative in the small rural locality of Tiout (province of Taroudant), a joint project by a Moroccan and a Monaco associations. The project, a fruit of cooperation between Moroccan association "Iben Baytar" and Monaco's "Monaco Aid and Presence," will develop a new economic activity as it will develop an economic resource, Argan oil, which is both an edible oil and a cosmetic product. The activity will generate new jobs and income for women contribute to maintaining the region's eco-system with the planting of new Argan trees that grow exclusively in Morocco.

Morocco will be among 25 countries taking part in the 51st World Exhibition of Innovation, Research and New Technologies, or "Brussels Eureka," to be held in Brussels November 12-17. Some thirty Moroccan inventors will be present among the 800 peers expected to showcase their innovations, from distance-measuring shoes and voice money counting machines for the blind to protecting domes for nuclear plants.

A convention on the set up of multimedia centers in some Moroccan schools was signed in Rabat Tuesday between the country's state secretariat in charge of posts, technologies and telecommunication and information technologies and the ministry of education. By virtue of the convention, the ministry of education will be provided with 100 computers and 30 printers, to enhance the schools' multimedia equipment. The computers and printers were acquired during the preparations for the 16th plenipotentiary conference of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), held in Marrakesh September 23-October 18. The use of new technologies in the fields of education and training is a national ambition Morocco, which will boost the number of internet users in Morocco, which is currently very low, with less than 2% of the population (500,000 users). The objective is to attain 5 million users before the next ITU plenipotentiary conference (every four years). The secretary general of the ministry of education lauded the initiative, and called for the set up of the two funds to bridge up the digital gap at the national level: the "Fund of Universal Service" and the "Fund of Training and Research." National telecom operators will earmark 1% of their sales for the set up of the funds aiming to generalize information and communication techniques in schools, finance training sessions in the field and to give citizens access to information and communication technologies.

Some 70 Moroccan Berber Associations on Thursday voiced rejection of calls to write the Berbers' Amazigh language in Latin Characters. A group of Berber associations issued recently a declaration calling for the writing of Amazigh in Latin characters, arguing the transcripts are universal. The associations, which opposed the call, argued the Amazigh language has always been written in Arabic characters, noting that "the so-called universality of the Latin transcripts is a mere stratagem proving the adherence of the promoters of the call to western hegemonic schemes." They called on the signatories of the declaration to reconsider their position and avoid unpopular calls that can be harmful to the Amazigh identity. The associations urged the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture, set up by King Mohammed VI, not to cede to the pressures made by a small group that claims legitimacy to represent the Amazigh culture.

The King of Morocco is to host a birthday party for hip-hop entrepreneur, Sean 'P Diddy' Combs, according to reports. King Mohammed VI is said to footing the bill for the $1 million five-day event, due to be held in Marrakech next month. According to the New York Post, Combs - who celebrates his 33rd birthday on November 4 - plans to charter jumbo jets to fly guests to the Moroccan city from Paris and New York. Details surrounding the exclusive event are still thin on the ground, with a spokesperson for Diddy telling the newspaper, "I can't say anything about it - I have to respect the King's wishes". As previously reported, P Diddy hosted, 'The Greatest Party Of All Time', following the MTV Video Music Awards in New York this summer. Around 1,500 people - including Britney Spears, Mike Myers, Justin Timberlake and the Osbourne family - attended the star-studded party at Manhattan's Cipriani restaurant.

RABAT, Morocco (AP) - A fire erupted early Friday at an overcrowded prison, killing 49 inmates and seriously injuring at least eight other people, authorities said. The fire started about 1:30 a.m. at the Sidi Moussa jail in coastal El Jadida, about 110 miles south of the capital city Rabat, the official MAP news agency said. About 40 inmates were injured, some from smoke inhalation, in what was believed to be the worst fire ever at a Moroccan prison. The injured were taken to the regional Mohammed V Hospital or to a burn unit in Casablanca, about 56 miles away, the news agency said. Deputy Interior Minister Fouad Ali Al Himma told The Associated Press that the cause of the fire was not immediately known and that an investigation was under way. An earlier report said the cause was electrical nature. The Atlantic Coast prison was built in 1994 for 1,000 prisoners but holds more than 1,300. Moroccan King Mohammed VI expressed condolences to the families of the victims. Outgoing Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi and other Moroccan Cabinet ministers were traveling to the site to lead an inquiry into the fire and organize assistance for the families of the victims. The fire was limited to one prison building, but smoke filled adjoining blocks, causing an unspecified number of inmates to die of asphyxiation, reports said. Others were killed while trying frantically to escape the fire.

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PRESS RELEASE AI Index: MDE 29/005/2002 (Public) News Service No: 190 28 October 2002

Morocco/Western Sahara: Time for inquiry into Ben Barka's "disappearance" On the eve of the 38th anniversary of the "disappearance" in Paris of leading left-wing activist Mehdi Ben Barka, Amnesty International calls on the Moroccan authorities to take the long-overdue step of launching an investigation into the case. As members of the Moroccan Human Rights Association, the Moroccan Human Rights Organization and the Forum for Truth and Justice travel to Paris in a caravan of remembrance to highlight the need for action, Amnesty International expresses its continuing solidarity with their courageous and determined struggle for truth and justice. In the light of the serious allegations about the Moroccan authorities' role in the "disappearance" of Mehdi Ben Barka made last year by retired security agent Ahmed Boukhari, there can be no excuse for the authorities continuing to ignore the call for a full, impartial and independent investigation into state involvement in the death of the opposition figure. The time has also come for the Moroccan authorities to allow Ahmed Boukhari to travel to Paris to testify before a French judicial inquiry into the "disappearance". Boukhari has been summoned on four separate occasions to appear at hearings into the case. Each time he has been unable to attend because the Moroccan authorities continue to refuse to renew his passport. Boukhari has been challenging this decision before a court of law.  

The case of Mehdi Ben Barka is only one among the hundreds of "disappearance" cases, which occurred between the mid-1960s and the early 1990s and which remain unresolved today. Amnesty International has publicly welcomed the series of positive initiatives undertaken by the Moroccan authorities in recent years to improve the human rights situation, including awarding financial compensation to several hundred relatives of the "disappeared" and former "disappeared". However, thorough, impartial and independent investigations have not been opened to shed light on the truth about these grave and systematic human rights violations and to establish responsibility for them.  Human rights activists in Morocco/Western Sahara have been actively campaigning to end the immense suffering of relatives of the "disappeared", forced to live for years on end without knowing the fate of their loved ones. Since last year, the Moroccan Human Rights Association, the Moroccan Human Rights Organization and the Forum for Truth and Justice have been coordinating their activities on "disappearances" and other grave human rights violations of the past in a bid to send out a strong message on the urgent need for immediate action to be taken to clarify the truth about these crimes. If the authorities are to fulfill their stated commitment to addressing the wrongs of the past, they must take this message seriously.  

Background Opposition activist Mehdi Ben Barka was abducted in Paris on 29 October 1965 and subsequently "disappeared". Ahmed Boukhari, a former member of Morocco's secret services, began making revelations in 2001, alleging that Mehdi Ben Barka died while being interrogated in a villa south of Paris by Moroccan secret service agents and that his body was then flown back to Morocco and dissolved in acid. Ahmed Boukhari this year published a book, which sets out in great detail an account of the last hours of Mehdi Ben Barka. Boukhari claims an intimate knowledge of the case through his former role in the counter-subversion department of the secret services, which he claims was responsible for thousands of abductions, followed by secret detention and torture. Since making his revelations, Boukhari has found himself the subject of several defamation cases. Some of the plaintiffs are former colleagues, angry at his portrayal of them as state agents involved in grave and systematic human rights violations over a number of years.

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: For latest human rights news view http://www.moroccodaily.com/p/35/70e80474f437.html?id=facfe5 

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