Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
December 11 2004

Moroccan business delegation in USA to explore opportunities in agro-food
Over US $38.8 Mln to combat poverty in Morocco in 2005
Moroccan youth department launches Free no-diploma universities
Moroccan Family Planning Association rewarded by Population Institute
Germany supports wind-generated energy plant in Morocco
Morocco presents wind-generated electricity project for Clean development mechanism
Social program in Morocco : 321 million DH for 2,000 associations
MEDA's Funds to Morocco in 2004 total 160 Mln Euros
EC proposes opening negotiations with Morocco on Galileo navigation system
The Civil Society Conference opening Dec 8
Morocco Internet Access Services Forecast and Analysis, 2002-2007
Moroccan rights organization : democracy should become daily life
Powell Meets Arab Leaders in Morocco
Leaders discuss Arab world reforms
Marrakech International Film Festival opens 4th edition
Sir Sean Connery receives Marrakech international Film Festival Award
Sir Alan Parker "still impressed by the creative process involved in cinema"
Alan Parker: Marrakech Festival provides an alternative to US cinema industry
Playing with Party Politics
Morocco's external trade transactions progress by 9.4% in 3Qs of 2004
Remittances of Moroccan expatriates post 6% increase in Jan-Oct
Christian Dior opens first outlet in Morocco

Moroccan business delegation in USA to explore opportunities in agro-food
WASHINGTON, Dec.09

A Moroccan delegation of officials and managers of public and private agro-food enterprises is currently visiting the USA to explore cooperation possibilities in the agro-food industry and rules regulating the sector. The party, comprising officials from the ministry of trade and industry, the autonomous authority of exports coordination and control, representatives of professional associations and companies of vegetables, fruits and fish canning met with officials from the US state department, the office of the US representative for trade. Talks reviewed business opportunities offered by the free trade agreement concluded between Morocco and the USA. Other sessions with official in the US departments in charge of food control and customs and enterprise managers reviewed control measures in the USA, criteria and standards and laws regulating the food chain.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_depma17.htm 
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Over US $38.8 Mln to combat poverty in Morocco in 2005.
Rabat, Dec. 08

Moroccan Social Development, Family and Solidarity Minister, Abderrahim Harouchi, has revealed that the government will dedicate over 350 million Dhs (around US $38.8 million) to combat poverty in 2005. Harouchi, who was speaking, on Tuesday, during the parliament's question-time, said his department has elaborated a program that includes 1815 local development projects to combat poverty.

The minister urged for investing human resources in rural zones through literacy programs, training, and support of activities aimed at improving populations incomes. Actions should not be limited to developing infrastructures, he said. Fighting poverty and improving living conditions of populations have become in the latest years a major priority for the Moroccan government which launched several social-economic projects in 2004 in different regions of the country in an attempt to eradicate unhealthy housing.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/economy/eco_003.htm 
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Moroccan youth department launches Free no-diploma universities
RABAT, Dec.6

"Popular universities", a free of charge learning structure not leading to diplomas is a new creative initiative launched by the Moroccan secretariat of state for youth and sports to dispense "knowledge for knowledge". The program, says the department, will consist in creating a national network of such universities, giving courses in various branches such as sociology, communication, philosophy, history, education sciences and law.

The department considers the initiative as an additional headway in the democratization of access to knowledge and an opportunity for all those could not continue higher education. No diploma will be delivered at the end of these university studies to which access is open to the public.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm 
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Moroccan Family Planning Association rewarded by Population Institute
Rabat, Dec. 06

The Moroccan Family Planning Association received, on Sunday, the Population Institute's "national prize" of 2004, in recognition for its "successful leadership of the country's population program" in the latest 35 years. Meanwhile, the "global leaders award" went to Nouzha Skalli, "a longtime women's rights advocate" and a member of the Moroccan parliament. The rewards were presented on the occasion of the 25th annual Global Media Awards for Excellence in Population Reporting that was organized in Rabat.

A special award, "the gender equity award," has been created to honor the "Association Annakhil pour la Femme et l'Enfant" of Morocco, for its promotion of gender equity and equality, as well as its fight against gender based violence against women. The ceremony was held with the presence of Moroccan Communication Minister, Nabil Benabdellah, and Health Minister, Mohamed Cheikh Biadillah.

Population Institute is an international, educational, non-profit organization that seeks to reduce excessive population growth. It presents the annual awards to honor journalists, print and electronic media organizations, and others that have outstanding contributions to greater awareness of population, environment and resource issues.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm 
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Germany supports wind-generated energy plant in Morocco.
RABAT, Dec.04

Germany will contribute 50 million Euros to the construction of one of two wind-generated energy plants in Essaouira (south Atlantic city). The German public development bank "FKW" (Kreditanstalt fur Wiederaufbau) will extend the Moroccan electricity office (ONE) 50 million Euros. Half of the amoun is a 40-year loan carrying an annual interest rate of 0.75% with a 10-year grace period and the other half is a financial loan. The plant will produce an annual average of 200 GWH and service the Moroccan electric grid.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/eco_131.htm 
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Morocco presents wind-generated electricity project for Clean development mechanism
RABAT, Dec.08

Morocco will present at the 10th conference of parties to the UN framework Convention on climatic Changes, which opened Monday in Buenos Aires, a wind-generated electricity project in the southern Atlantic city of Essaouira, eligible for the Clean Development Mechanism. The conference, "COP10" marking the 10th anniversary of the Convention, will look into implementation modalities of the Kyoto protocol, slated to enter into force on February 16.

The Moroccan delegation will present the Kingdom's first project to be eligible to the mechanism. The Essaouira wind-generated electricity plant, worth 82.5 million Euros, has a production capacity of 60Megawatts. Under the mechanism, the project will receive around 10 million Euros in financial support. Over 25 projects were identified in Morocco as eligible for the Mechanism financial assistance over the ten coming years and will receive a dozen of billion Dirhams.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/general/gen-fires.htm 
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Social program in Morocco : 321 million DH for 2,000 associations.
RABAT, Dec.10

Some 2,000 Moroccan associations will participate in the implementation of Morocco's "social proximity program", for which 321 million dirhams (over US$ 32 million) were earmarked. This is what Social Development, Family and solidarity minister, Abderrahim Harouchi, revealed in an interview with "La Nouvelle Tribune" weekly.

He explained that the program seeks to improve the welfare of citizens by facilitating access to infrastructure, contributing to the socio-economic development of impoverished populations through the consolidation of the human capital and promote the integration of persons living in a precarious situation.

The 2005 total budget earmarked for the program is worth 380 million DH, including 321 millions that would go to local associations that have a project meeting the general goals of the fight against poverty and exclusion and with a real impact on populations, he explained.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/economy/soc-Chad.htm 
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MEDA's Funds to Morocco in 2004 total 160 Mln Euros
RABAT, Dec.10

The financial aid allocated to Morocco in 2004 part of EU-south Mediterranean MEDA program has reached 160 million Euro, against
115 million Euro in the previous year, said head of the European Commission Delegation in Morocco, Sean Doyle. The European diplomat told a press conference, Thursday in Rabat, "Morocco is well ahead of countries in the region as a recipient of the MEDA program subsidies."

MEDA is the main financial instrument of the European Union for the implementation of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership. The programme offers technical and financial support measures to accompany the reform of economic and social structures in Mediterranean partner countries.

Doyle added that Morocco will benefit from a total amount of 275 million Euro part of the 2005-2006 National Indicative Program (NIP), within the framework of MEDA. He said NIP is designed to support reforms instituted by Morocco in economic realms and upgrading economy, fighting poverty, consolidating the rule of law and supporting the modernization process of public administrations. The European Commission's budget will be voted in 2007, he said, pointing out that Morocco aspires to raise by 40 percent the subsidies allocated to it part of MEDA program starting from 2007. According to Doyle, subsidies concern donations alone and do not include loans.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_deppar09.htm 
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EC proposes opening negotiations with Morocco on Galileo navigation system.
Economics, 12/8/2004

The European Commission on Tuesday proposed negotiating directives to the Council on the conclusion of a cooperation agreement with Morocco on the development of Galileo, a civil satellite navigation system. The Commission will start discussions with Morocco as soon as the Council has approved the negotiating directives. "The prospect of a new Galileo cooperation agreement, this time with Morocco, highlights the success of this European program. Such an agreement will enable Galileo to become established in the western Mediterranean and West Africa," said Jacques Barrot, Vice-President with responsibility for Transport.

On 13 October, following several preparatory meetings with the Commission, Morocco formally announced its interest in opening negotiations and the prospect of an agreement on its participation in Galileo. This will involve industrial and scientific cooperation, particularly regarding standardisation issues, monitoring regional integrity and developing specific applications for Morocco and its geographic environment (the western Mediterranean and West Africa).

International cooperation in the Galileo Program is expanding rapidly.
Agreements have already been signed with China and Israel and discussions are underway with India, Russia, Ukraine, Brazil, South Korea, Mexico and Australia. Furthermore, the agreement between the European Union and the United States which was signed on 26 June confirmed the total interoperability between Galileo and GPS. The Commission expects over 150,000 highly qualified jobs to be created in Europe.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/041208/2004120821.html 
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The Civil Society Conference opening Dcember 8.
08/12/2004 By Karima RHANEM Rabat, December 8

The civil Society Conference on reforms in the Arab World had its opening today. The conference is organized by the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies in cooperation with the Moroccan Organization for Human Rights, the International Federation for Human Rights and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network This conference, parallel to the first meeting of the G8 Forum for the Future, will be attended by 60 participants from the civil society, NGO's and actors from 15 Arab states, nine international organizations, and representatives of four Asian and European NGO's.

The parallel meeting aims at launching a new mechanism for proceeding with reforms and enhancing human rights in the Middle East and North Africa. Human rights activists from the region discussed human rights records in their countries stressing the importance of real reform in the development of their own countries. Promises of reforms and real change drawn from recommendations of previous conferences and forums are to be determined in the two-day working session of this conference held in Hotel Farah, Rabat.

The year 2004 will be evaluated regarding the best and worst practices on the track of reform and the ways to enhance the role of the civil society and the international community in adapting reforms in the Arab World. The recommendations of this conference will be presented to the first meeting of the Forum for the Future held in Rabat on Dec. 11.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=1359 
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Morocco Internet Access Services Forecast and Analysis, 2002-2007
July 2003, Pages: 24

This IDC study is part of a series of IDC studies that size, forecast, and analyze the markets of seven countries in the North Africa and Levant region, for consumer and business Internet access services via dial-up, broadband, and leased line connections. The North Africa and Levant countries to be covered in the series of studies include Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon. This study includes market forecasts for Morocco, covering consumer and business connections, by size of business, and revenue for dial-up (PSTN and ISDN), broadband (xDSL, cable modem, satellite broadband, broadband fixed wireless access, and metro Ethernet) and leased line access services by bandwidth.  Questions answered in this IDC study include:
- What is the current regulatory environment and Internet access market structure, and how does the structure of the market affect the growth prospects for each service type?
- What are the driving forces behind the growth or each service type in the local market, and what are the revenue growth opportunities that ISPs, telecommunications operators, and vendors need to be well-positioned for going forward?

"With the latest advances in IP infrastructure development in the region, continued tariff reductions, and an increased leadership role from the government, the Moroccan Internet access market is poised for continued growth over the next five years. But while the total market will see growth in connections and revenues, the real opportunities, for which ISPs are increasingly positioning themselves, are broadband Internet access services." ?
Mohsen Malaki, Senior Analyst, IDC CEMA .
http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c10978/ 
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Moroccan rights organization : democracy should become daily life
RABAT, Dec.10

The Moroccan league for the defense of human rights said "democracy should become part of citizens' daily life, intellectual convictions and cultural visions", deepening, thus, the principles of participation, accountability and freedom. The league which published a report as the world is marking on Dec.10 the 56th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights stresses that "Morocco which started reconciliation with itself and with history through the creation of the Justice and Reconciliation Commission, should at the same time get reconciled with democracy".

The Justice and Reconciliation Commission (IER) was set up last January to seek out-of-court settlement of past serious human rights violations. The League which underscored the close link existing between civil life and politics on the one hand and economic, social and cultural rights on the other urged for establishing justice independence as a factor of political and social stability and a means to engrain democracy and human rights.

The association further calls Algeria to stop standing on the way of Morocco's right to defend its territorial integrity, on the basis of the links of religion, language, neighborhood, history and shared struggle existing between the two countries. For the association, the persistence of the Sahara conflict "is hampering the establishment of security and stability in the region".
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm 
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Powell Meets Arab Leaders in Morocco

US Secretary of State Colin Powell joins senior officials from the Group of Eight nations in Rabat tomorrow for a meeting with representatives of 23 countries across North Africa and the Middle East to discuss reforms in the Arab world. The Forum for the Future is being co-hosted by Powell and Morocco's foreign minister, Mohamed Benaissa, to discuss political and economic changes under way in the region.

Delegates to the conferences, mostly foreign and finance ministers, were being encouraged "to put all their problems on the table and foster a constructive dialogue," organisers said in a statement.

The United States proposed bringing together the region's leaders again in Morocco after a summit of Arab heads of state in Tunisia earlier this year was marred by the walkout of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and the absence of several leaders. Under heavy security, the foreign ministers of Iran, Syria and Lebanon were among those gathering in Rabat for tomorrow's meeting to discuss how to peacefully settle inter-Arab conflicts and improve regional co-operation.

The conference is part of Washington's Greater Middle East Initiative, which was unveiled in June at the G-8 summit of major industrial countries: Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.

The initiative urges Arab states to promote democracy, human rights and economic liberalisation. Saturday's meeting also was expected to deal with illiteracy in the Arab world, discrimination against women and efforts to create a better business environment.

But the issue of democratic reform is a sensitive subject among Arab governments - which are mostly autocratic and have been long criticised for providing their 270 million people with little or no voice. Islamic activists and media in Morocco denounced the conference earlier this week as an "indignity" and "a humiliation of the Moroccan people." Some Arab leaders, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, have accused the United States of pursuing a hidden agenda at the talks. French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said the conference would produce a declaration that would focus on settling the crisis in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian dispute.
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3866786 
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Leaders discuss Arab world reforms.
Friday, December 10, 2004 RABAT, Morocco (AP)

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell joins senior officials from the Group of Eight industrial nations here Saturday for a meeting with representatives of more than 20 countries across North Africa and the Middle East to discuss reforms in the Arab world. The "Forum for the Future" is being co-hosted by Powell and Morocco's foreign minister, Mohamed Benaissa, to discuss political and economic changes under way in the region.

Before Powell's arrival Friday evening, about 100 demonstrators gathered in front of the parliament building to protest the American envoy's visit, hoisting a banner that read: "No to the American imperialist forum!"
"We are here because we want another voice other than that of official Morocco to be heard," said Amine Abdelhamid, head of the Moroccan Human Rights Association.

"We denounce Morocco's organization of this forum," he said. "The Bush administration, which is the friend of the Arab potentates, cannot claim to be the harbinger of democracy." Delegates to the conferences, mostly foreign and finance ministers, were being encouraged "to put all their problems on the table and foster a constructive dialogue," organizers said in a statement.

Powell said he hopes the meeting will provid a catalyst for expanding political and economic reform throughout the region. "This is an exciting long-term initiative. I think it will be something that will gain momentum as we go further," Powell told reporters as he flew here from the Netherlands for Saturday's meeting.

The United States proposed bringing together the region's leaders in Morocco after a summit of Arab heads of state in Tunisia earlier this year was marred by the walkout of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi and the absence of several leaders. Under heavy security, the foreign ministers of Syria and Lebanon were among those gathering in Rabat for Saturday's meeting to discuss how to peacefully settle inter-Arab conflicts and improve regional cooperation.

Iran also was set to attend but withdrew "at the last minute" Friday, said Nabil Benabdallah, a Moroccan government spokesman. Iran made the decision based on its current relations with the United States and "the degree of threat that this country poses to the Islamic Republic of Iran," a Moroccan official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The conference is part of Washington's "Greater Middle East Initiative,"
which was unveiled in June at the G-8 summit of major industrial countries:
Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States. The initiative urges Arab states to promote democracy, human rights and economic liberalization. Saturday's meeting also was expected to feature presentations by pro-reform civil society groups and discussions about ways to combat illiteracy, efforts to promote small business, and discrimination against women.

Powell said the reform idea has been catching on even though many countries reacted coolly to the United States having a key role in the process.
President George W. Bush has said "a consensus is emerging across the Middle East on the need for change ... Political, civil society and business leaders have met to discuss modernization and reform, and have issued stirring calls for political, economic and social change."

The Bush administration sees political as well as economic underdevelopment as holding many Arab countries back and producing conditions in which Islamic extremism can flourish. There is some question about how many governments favor far-reaching reform, perhaps seeing a process of liberalization as the threat to their hold on power. Arab governments are mostly autocratic and have been long criticized for providing their 270 million people with little or no voice.

Islamic activists and media in Morocco denounced the conference earlier this week as an "indignity" and "a humiliation of the Moroccan people."
Some Arab leaders, including Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, have accused the United States of pursuing a hidden agenda at the talks.

French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said the conference would produce a declaration that would focus on settling the crisis in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. Governments participating in the forum include Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Mauritania, Oman, Pakistan, the Palestinian Authority, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/africa/12/10/arab.conference.ap/index.html 
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Marrakech International Film Festival opens 4th edition.
Local, 12/8/2004

The 4th edition of the International Film Festival of Marrakech (Dec. 06-12) opened on Monday in the Palais des Congres. This year's edition is paying tribute to two renowned figures in the world of the cinema, namely to the Italian actress Claudia Cardinale and the Egyptian director, Youssef Chahine.

Moroccan Communication Minister attended the opening ceremony of the festival that started with a retrospective of the three latest editions. The festival will feature 14 international movies from Europe, the Two Americas, the Maghreb, Africa, Asia and the Arab states.

The festival will screen several other films, including a score of Moroccan movies made during the four past years. Indian cinema will be given special
honour: 10 movies made during the past 40 years will be featured in the festival. This cinema rendezvous will celebrate the cinema of the past, present and future through retrospectives, tributes and "carte blanche" to leading figures of cinema.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/041208/2004120826.html 
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Sir Sean Connery receives Marrakech international Film Festival Award.
Marrakech, Dec 8

British mega star and icon, Sir Sean Connery, received, here last night, the Marrakech International Film Festival Award that was handed to him by his friend, US actor Lawrence Fishburne.

Introducing Sir Sean Connery, Fishburne said he was "greatly pleased to pay tribute to a man who fixed his name on public imagination," noting that refinement, sophistication and longevity are the usual words that often come to mind to describe Connery's artistic achievement.

Like the characters he portrayed for the silver screen, Sir Connery is always looking for new conquests, added fishburne, who described Connery as a "staunch defendant of his homeland Scotland."

Sir Sean Connery, who started his working life as a coffin polisher, was given a standing ovation by the audience that came to salute him. Connery said he felt honoured to receive such a "wonderful award", and more so in Morocco, a country he came to know thirty five years ago with his wife Micheline.

He then expressed heartfelt thanks to Lawrence Fishburne, an "outstanding actor", who interrupted filming for the sake of presenting Sir Sean Connery with the Marrakech International Film Festival Award.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/arafat_died.htm 
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Sir Alan Parker "still impressed by the creative process involved in cinema"
MARRAKECH, Dec.7

World famed British director, Sir Alan Parker, said Monday he was "still impressed" by the creative process involved in making movies, adding that it is wonderful that cinema can be enjoyed by many. For Parker, who is this year's Jury President of the Marrakech International Film Festival, cinema is a wonderful means of rapprochement between peoples, no matter how different idioms might be.

"I have never been involved in a situation where language was an issue", he said, during a press conference held in Marrakech a few hours before the opening of the festival. He assured that films of different cultures and backgrounds can only be healthy for cinema itself and democratic debate by the same token.

Looking back on his own career and the films he directed in Hollywood, Parker noted that US film industry allowed him to make the kind of movies he was craving for, ascribing the success of American movies to their ability to connect with the audience. The director of such box office blockbusters such as Midnight Express, Birdy or Fame, said that film industry is a "collaborative form that involves a lot of talented people."
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/general/gen-poverty.htm 
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Alan Parker: Marrakech Festival provides an alternative to US cinema industry.
Local, 12/10/2004

British filmmaker, Sir Alan Parker, said, here Thursday, that Marrakech International Film Festival provides an alternative to the domineering US film industry. "This festival shows indeed that there's another cinema that could be seen as an alternative to US cinema, for young people to see," Parker, jury president of this year's edition, told a press conference.

This encounter gave me the opportunity to discover Morocco, a fascinating country, he added, underlining that Marrakech International Film Festival will help Moroccan cinema and the country's film making industry. Parker noted that the jury members in the festival have been chosen with regard to their individual views, tastes and sensibilities. "A good movie is one that moves me and makes me think. I don't care where it comes from," he said, adding that he feels comfortable working with able actors who know their lines just like US actor, Kevin Spacey.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/041210/2004121020.html 
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Playing with Party Politics
Morocco, Volume 55 08.12.2004

If 2003 was the year of social reform, 2004 will likely be remembered as the year of political reform. A new bill for political parties was introduced back in October, and while it created lively debate, most agreed that change was needed. The object was to clean up the way party politics works in anticipation of the next round of legislative elections in 2007.

"The creation of political parties, their programmes, means of financing, as well as their functioning and internal workings must conform to the rules of democracy and transparency, and to the principles of the primacy of law and judicial control" - it was in these terms that King Mohammed VI got the ball rolling at the start of the new parliamentary session this autumn.

While a previous attempt at political party reform in 2001 was prematurely dropped, there is now more consensus about the need for change. As one politician put it, "The country has changed, while politics has not." Political parties have proliferated greatly - there are currently around 30 - yet political participation and voter turnout have dropped. There is a fear that Moroccans are now following the well-worn path of political apathy, surprising for a country still undergoing political liberalisation.

Political parties are currently governed by the same law that oversees non-governmental organisations (NGOs) - the Associations Law. This has proved inappropriate, and many point to the ease of creating parties as a source of the problem. Currently, only seven people are needed to create a party, leading to opportunism and parties devoid of either content or adequate support. The new law proposes to tighten the screw substantially: any new party needs 1000 founding members, coming from at least eight of the
16 provinces of the kingdom, with a minimum 50 members from each. Each founding member has to provide a large dossier of information, from their name to a document attesting to their presence on the electoral list.

However, critical commentators argue that this law makes it nigh on impossible to create a party. While it is important to avoid too much proliferation, human rights advocates point out that these conditions go against the principle of freedom of association.

Along similar lines, parties also need to hold congresses at least once every four years - a laudable idea - but the fact that they need to unite at least 1500 members has also raised some concerns.

In an effort to promote more transparency, the mechanism of state subsidies to parties is also being overhauled. The amount allocated is calculated according to the number of parliamentary members (delegates and counsellors) representing each party. Party accounts also need to be certified by accountants and pass under the review of the Accounts Court. Generally speaking, this will reinforce transparency, particularly by narrowing party financing to bank transfers. Cash donations are illegal, as is foreign funding, so greater transparency should allow for better financial surveillance.

All the political parties are ostensibly happy to see greater transparency.
But some have argued that the allocation criteria should be modified - to the number of votes in an election, or to include local councils. This has its merits, as parliamentary composition does not accurately reflect the popular vote, due to the number of seats reserved for particular groups.

It could also be argued that allocating state finance according to electoral performance lends an added bias to incumbent parties. Given the lack of clear boundaries between those in power and those in opposition, this is not really an issue at the moment - as one deputy remarked, the parliament buildings are overcrowded with 12 parties, and it makes sense to have finances allocated according to their presence. But in the future, such a system may have to be revised.

The articles in the bill that have raised the most opposition from political parties are those related to the suspension and dissolution of parties.  These permit the Interior Ministry to suspend a party and close its offices for a period of between one and four months. The bill empowers the Interior Ministry to carry out this suspension if the party transgresses any of the laws, or if the activities of any party "carry a threat to public order".

The first issue is with the latter phrase. "Public order" is too fluid a concept, allowing the more security-minded within the administration to narrow the boundaries of freedom of expression. It also allows the Interior Ministry to punish parties at its discretion, and as financing is withheld during the period of suspension the sanction is greater.

The main issue that the parties object to is the Interior Ministry's role.
While party dissolution remains the exclusive privilege of the courts, all the parties agree that it should not be the ministry's prerogative to order a party's suspension. As one member of the conservative Istiqlal Party put it, it is not necessary to increase the competences of the government - the Interior Ministry can accuse a party of abuse, but it should be the justice system's exclusive prerogative to suspend or dissolve.

There has been overwhelming unanimity in the parties' objection to these clauses. Many consider that not only should this ultimate sanction be refused the Interior Ministry, but it should belong to the higher Constitutional Court instead. It looks likely that the bill will be amended in this fashion if it is to be passed.

The underlying issue, at least for some commentators, is the fact that the Interior Ministry escapes the government's mandate. The interior minister, along with the foreign and defence ministers, is appointed by the King and his or her mandate is determined by royal political power. But even if the interior minister were to fall under the government's mandate, he or she would have a powerful tool at their disposal to sanction the opposition parties.

The other innovation is that parties must reserve a quota for women and youth in their executives. This at least should weaken the base of some party dinosaurs and allow for a more representative political environment.

"We are determined to reinforce the political formations and to rehabilitate serious partisan action," the King said during his Throne Day speech in July 2004, "in order to permit the emergence of a political landscape based on powerful poles with clear and different visions."

The King's words give a clear indication of which way he at least wants the political landscape to develop. One Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) member remarked that in the future, politics should be based on a left-wing camp centred on the USFP and a right-wing camp centred on Istiqlal and the Justice and Development Party (PJD). The main complaint is the current phenomenon of "superficial and improvised consensus that only serves to further Balkanise the political landscape", as the King also remarked in his Throne Day speech.

In many ways therefore, the experience of "technocratic" government under Driss Jettou is being questioned. While the appointment of some technocratic ministers and the incorporation of a business-oriented mentality has led to some notable economic successes - transparent bids and accelerated infrastructure work, for example - it has done the political field little favours. That is because most of the parties in parliament, with the notable exception of the PJD, are involved in government, diluting their purported ideological differences. To have such unlikely bedfellows has possibly added to popular apathy.

The new law forbids the creation of parties that have a regional, religious, ethnic or linguistic focus. Many see this component as an implicit threat to the PJD, commonly labelled an "Islamist" party. Religion is the King's domain as leader of the faithful, and religious discourse is therefore not permitted in politics. The PJD has accepted the terms, arguing that they themselves do not intend to exclude anyone from their party based on religion - as the party general secretary recently said, "Logically, a Moroccan Jew can join the PJD."

The above specifications are aimed at keeping political unity and subduing centrifugal forces. Regionalism is one important example. Given that the trend is currently towards political decentralisation, the political elite does not want to see the trend snowball. Locally empowered actors must maintain national cohesion. At the same time, as political maturity develops, regional or linguistic references should eventually be allowed - the Spanish model offering one example.

The King has promised a political government after the next elections. Now what remains to be seen is whether the parties can rehabilitate themselves.  Too long used to looking upwards to the source of power, most of them have lost touch with their grassroots and the population at large. The focus of attention must now be reoriented, the political constellation consolidated, and political discourse rendered more meaningful - hopefully the new law, with all its amendments, will go some way to doing just that.

Chris de Oliveira
http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=1138 
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Morocco's external trade transactions progress by 9.4% in 3Qs of 2004
RABAT, Dec.07

Morocco external trade transactions were worth in the 3 first quarters of 2004 some 198.08 billion MAD (about US$ 20 billion), posting a 9.4% progression compared to the same period of last year.  According to the Exchange office, exports grew by 2.8% while imports soared by 13.5%, as a result of the increase in international prices of crude oil, equipment goods and wheat. Therefore, the trade deficit worsened by 31.1% to stand at 55.39 billion MAD (over US$ 5.6 billion). Exports were worth 71.35 billion MAD.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm 
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Remittances of Moroccan expatriates post 6% increase in Jan-Oct.
RABAT, Dec.07

Remittances operated by Moroccans living abroad were worth
31.22 billion MAD (US$ over 3.4 billion) in the period between January and October 2004, marking a 6% progression compared to the same period of 2003.  According to the exchange office, the value of these transfers posts a 28.2% improvement if compared to the annual average of 1999-2003.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/economy/h_dep006cereals.htm 
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Christian Dior opens first outlet in Morocco
Dec 8, 2004 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX)

The high profile company, Christian Dior, declared on Tuesdaythat it would launch on Friday its first Moroccan outlet in thecity of Marrakech.  The 70 sq. m. site will be situated inMamounia Hotel and its launch will coincide with the fourth Marrakech International Film Festival opened on Monday and scheduled to last until Sunday Dec. 12. A spring-summerfashion show and dinner are scheduled to take place during the inauguration event.
(C) 2004 Mena Report (www.menareport.com) By Al-Bawaba Reporters (C) 2004 Albawaba.com, All rights reserved.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=343w3773&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C 

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