FOM Newsletter November 2002
Morocco Week in Review November 30 2002 

FEZ, Nov.25 - Five people were killed when their house foundered under heavy rain on Monday, local authorities said. The five victims belong to the same family. They include the 36-year-old father and four of his children aged between 1 and 14.  Relatedly, heavy rain that has been hitting Morocco over the past 13 days, causing the swell of a river in central Morocco that killed 13 people. In the province of Settat, twenty people were swept away and 11 others are reported missing by the swell of a river in the province of Settat, central Morocco, the rescue department said.  Six corpses have been fished out, and the rescue brigades are still searching for other bodies.

http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm 

Rabat, Nov.26 - River overflows caused by torrential rain that has been pouring in Morocco since last week claimed the death of thirty five people, while eight others were reported missing.  In the centre-West region of Settat, where heavy showers reached 76 mm in no more than three hours, thirty people were killed, while eight other are still reported missing.  In Mohammedia, an industrial city 60 km South Rabat, El Maleh river swell caused important material loss for a dozen factories, and brought car traffic to a halt. Cars and oil tankers, parked near a hydrocarbons factory, were swept away by the floods.  The river dam's saturated capacity could not streamline the heavy rain that flooded nearby rich farming areas of Benslimane and Khouribga.  In Fez, five people were killed when their house collapsed under heavy rain on Monday, local authorities said.  The five victims belong to the same family: 36 years old father and his four siblings aged between 1 and 14.

King Mohammed VI, who offered condolences to families affected by the floods, gave instructions to bring immediate assistance to the victims and help them overcome material damages.  Official death toll in Moroccan floods rises to 63 . Nov. 30, 02 The death toll from floods in Morocco had risen to 63, making them the deadliest natural disaster to strike the north African country in seven years. Another 26 people were missing and 17 others were injured, said the communications minister, Nabil Benabdallah.  Previously, officials had reported 37 deaths and 11 people missing from the flooding triggered by rains Sunday and Monday that followed a prolonged and devastating drought

Moroccan delegated minister for foreign affairs and cooperation, Taieb El Fassi Fihri, currently on a visit to Washington, held talks Tuesday with US secretary of commerce, Don Evans.  Means to upgrade economic relations between the two countries and organizing business trips to Morocco were at the focus of talks. The Moroccan official and his accompanying delegation also held work sessions with the US trade representative, Robert Zoellick, and the head of the US delegation to negotiations on the Morocco-US free trade accord,  Catherine Novelli. The two sides agreed on the negotiations mode and process and decided to set up a dozen sector groups in the prospect of the formal launch of negotiations by the end of next January, a source from the Moroccan delegation said. The second round of comprehensive negotiations was set for next March and will take place in Morocco.  The project to conclude a free trade accord between the two countries was announced by President Bush last April during the work visit King Mohammed VI was then paying to Washington.

Morocco, Among 13 Countries Added to List of Countries Whose Male Nationals Must Register with U.S. Government

WASHINGTON, Nov.23 - US Attorney general, John Ashcroft, announced on Friday a new list of 13 countries (Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Eritrea, Lebanon, Morocco, North Korea, Oman, Qatar, Somalia, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen) whose male citizens must register with the government.  The new requirements concern male visitors who entered the United States on or before Sept. 30. The new rules affect males born on or before Dec. 2, 1986 and who intend to stay in the United States at least until Jan. 10, 2003.

The first list released earlier this month included Iraq, Iran, Libya, Sudan and Syria. Affected men will have to visit their local Immigration and Naturalization Service office to be fingerprinted and photographed and to provide detailed information about their backgrounds and the purpose of their visit to the United States. The move is part of a broader anti-terrorism program that began on Sept. 11, 2002. The affected population numbers in the thousands and includes students, people with long-term travel visas, family members and others, Justice Department, officials said.  The requirements do not apply to permanent residents - those with INS "green cards" - or to naturalized citizens from those countries. Diplomats are also excluded, as well as those who are seeking or were granted political asylum in the United States.

Moroccan minister of territory planning, water and environment, Mohammed El Yazghi, probed in Rabat Wednesday with the director in charge of the Middle East and North Africa at the World Bank, means to enhance cooperation in hydraulic resources management in Morocco.  During the meeting, El Yazghi voiced the Moroccan government will to activate a water policy based on demand management and the rationalization of its use.  The minister stressed the importance of regrouping the sectors of territory planning, water and environment into one department, which will be in charge of applying a global policy of water management, climate and environment preservation. The World Bank official exposed the water and environment-related cooperation agreements between the World Bank and Morocco, and reiterated the Bank's readiness to sponsor other programs aimed at enhancing the country's technical capacities and management methods.

The shooting in Morocco of Baz Luhrman's Super-production "Alexander the Great" in 2004 will create 20,000 seasonal jobs, said production director at the Moroccan Cinema Center (CCM).  Jobs will be created as of the beginning of the studio construction works in February, and during technical operations, the executive told MAP news agency. Craftsmen of different specialties and technicians will be hired to work in the Epic relating the conqueror's history, and starring Leonardo Di Caprio. Workers will get "fair" salaries in comparison with those generally earned in Morocco, but lower than those of Europe and the US, the executive said, stressing Moroccan authorities' efforts to attract such investments. Alexander the Great is likely to become the second biggest production of all time with 5,000 extras and a US$ 150 million budget, including 50 million dollars for shooting in Morocco.

RABAT, Nov 29 (Reuters) - New Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou has downgraded to 4.0 percent from 5.0 percent the official forecast for average annual GDP growth in 2000-2004. Jettou told parliament late on Thursday that the previous forecast of 5.0 percent annual GDP growth would have required 9.0 percent growth in non-agricultural sectors -- a target that would be "difficult to achieve," he said. The lower house of parliament approved by 212 votes to 53, with one abstention, the five-year economic programme outlined by Jettou on November 22.

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

A whale weighing 2.5 tons was washed ashore at a Rabat beach Saturday. According to Rabat urban commune vets, the dead mammal's age ranged between 6 and 12 months. The animal is the first of the kind to be washed off in the region, the vets said, adding that the reason might be suicide or parasite-related brain infection, which would have affected the whale's orientation system.

RABAT, Nov 26 (Reuters) - Eleven companies have prequalifed to develop five new tourist resorts on the Moroccan coast, the tourism ministry announced on Tuesday. Seven of the 11 developers are foreign companies, it said. Two are Moroccan companies and two are joint ventures of Moroccan companies with foreign partners. The selected companies are Kerzner International, FADESA, Bouygues Batiments , CDG unit Maroc Hotel Village, Accor unit Risma, M&J Pestana, Groupe ONA, Groupe CMKD, Med Group inversiones SL (part of the Soros Group), and Thomas & Piron (part of the Sumed group).  They were selected from a total of 22 operators that had submitted tenders, and are now free to form consortiums for the final stage of the selection process. These consortiums may include companies that did not succeed at the first stage of selection, the tourism ministry said.  The selected operators have four months in which to present detailed development projects for the site or sites in which they have expressed an interest.  Morocco welcomes some 2.5 million foreign tourists annually. The development of the five virgin sites, four on its Atlantic coast and one on the Mediterranean, is seen as contributing to a targeted quadrupling of that figure by 2010, by significantly boosting the country's beachside hotel capacity.

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

Morocco's prime minister, Driss Jettou, is preparing "a shock therapy" for the Moroccan economy, wrote on Tuesday French economic paper "Les Echos." The paper noted that the Moroccan government program, presented last week before the two Chambers of the Parliament, sets unemployment and the upgrading of the Moroccan economy as high priorities. Jettou was inspired by King Mohammed VI economic directives, namely employment, economic development, education and decent housing, said the newspaper, noting that these priorities are dictated by the situation currently prevailing in the kingdom, "still very dependant on rainfalls" for its agriculture.

Recalling the local press favorable welcome to the program, "Les Echos" stressed that Morocco has no other alternative with the Free Trade Area's 2012 deadline closing in, as provided for by the Association Accord with the EU. "The Association Accord implies a shock therapy for the Moroccan economy with the speeding up of the privatization process and the modernization of Moroccan enterprises," added the paper, recalling that starting from year 2003, a 400 million dirhams (US$ 40 million) will be allocated to upgrade Moroccan enterprises.  A particular attention will be given to the consolidation of infrastructure in order to stimulate private investments, said les Echos. "The program is ambitious," added the paper, citing in this regard the construction of Tangiers new port, 400 km of highway by 2007, the extension of the railway network and rural areas electrification. Concerning the administration and justice reforms, claimed by corporate interests, Les Echos said that Jettou promised setting high standards for public life, and fighting corruption.

Morocco will be have no problem in joining the European Union, provided that it speeds up its reforms for a better economic performance, an efficient social management and the promotion of justice and social equity, the European commission's ambassador to Rabat, Sean Doyle, said. Doyle told "Liberation" daily in an interview that agriculture negotiations between Morocco and the EU will resume next December. Concerning the Morocco-EU agreement on water, the diplomat said the European institutions are waiting for the findings of a commission which convened last week to earmark some 60 million Euro for Morocco, plus another 60 million if water reforms in Morocco follow their course.  The EU is mobilizing another 60 million Euro for the upgrading of Moroccan enterprises' competitiveness, he said, citing several projects of loans, guarantees and professional training in fields of textile, computing and tourism, which could attract some 50 millions. The ambassador stressed that lifting customs barriers will lead to a loss in jobs, while creating others thanks to a "better competitiveness of Moroccan enterprises and European investments." In the sector of transport, Doyle said among the necessary reforms is reducing the monopoly of Royal Air Maroc (RAM) on some lines, and rationalizing dock work tasks in ports.

CASABLANCA, Nov.29 - H.M. King Mohammed VI dedicated, here on Thursday, a house for abandoned children and infants, after extension and refurbishing works. The revamping of Lalla Hasna House, built on 3,074 square metres, aimed to increase accommodation capacity to 330 beds and to upgrade boarders' living conditions. The Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity earmarked 6,013 million dirhams (US$ 572,666) needed for refurbishing works.  Lalla Hasna House, run by Al Ihsan Association, is staffed by 152 educators and supervisors.

King Mohammed visits AIDS and infectious diseases treatment hospital in Casablanca

Morocco's King Mohammed VI visited this Thursday afternoon the AIDS and Infectious Diseases Treatment Hospital of the university hospital of Ibn Rochd, Casablanca. The sovereign followed explanations on activities conducted at the hospital which was built by the Moroccan association to fight infectious diseases (ALMI) in order to offer medicare to people affected with AIDS or with other infectious diseases.  The association is also providing the hospital with drugs and material, finances analyses and radiography and takes care of the facility maintenance. The Moroccan association to control AIDS is also a partner, as it offers psychological and material support to patients, and also pays for the travel expenses of people who come from remote regions and holds counseling sessions for patients who undergo the tri-therapy. The sovereign also toured various services at the hospital and equipment, worth 1.01 million DH, (US$ 96,439) donated by the Mohammed V solidarity foundation. According to latest statistics, there are presently 1,060 declared cases of AIDS in Morocco. Some 503 are under continuous control, including half who undergo the tri-therapy that was introduced in Morocco in 1999.

King Mohammed launches construction of rehab center for handicapped persons in Safi.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI, who was accompanied by Prince Moulay Rachid, launched on Friday the construction of a rehabilitation center for handicapped persons in the urban commune of Safi Zaouya, near Safi (350 km south of Rabat). The sovereign heard explanations on the center that will provide education, medical follow-up, training and professional integration services to disabled persons.  The 8.06 million Dirham (US$ 768,000) facility, built on a 20,000 m2 surface, is made up of a residence and training pavilion and another for leisure and meals, as well as administrative buildings. The center, to be built over 18 months, will benefit some 6,000 persons.

Morocco's King Mohammed VI who was accompanied by Prince Moulay Rachid, visited Friday the "Karam" association for the protection of children in precarious situation in Safi (350 km south of Rabat). The sovereign heard explanations on the role and actions of the association, set up in 1997, with the aim to assist and give shelter to children in a precarious situation, protect homeless children and integrate them in society, fight illiteracy and support rural children. The Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity provided "Karam" with computer, sport, kitchen and gardening equipment worth 240,263 Dirhams (US$ 22,850). According to a survey conducted by the association in December 2001, children in precarious situation in the city of Safi are numbered at some 587.

Return to Friends of Morocco Home Page