Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
July 10 2004

Royal visit to Washington, new impetus to Morocco-US longstanding relations
HM the King holds talks with President Bush
Morocco-US ties at their best, minister
U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Pact Fosters Economic, Political Stability:
Morocco, a regional economic superpower (US-Arab trade chamber)
$100 million loan to support Public Administration Reform program in Morocco.
Morocco gets USD118.6m loan
Fire squads put out forest fire near Rabat
IDB donates $421,000 to Morocco's firemen.
Moroccan city and Hollywood project twinning.
Canada and Morocco join in water and sustainable development program.
France-Morocco partnership extended to non-governmental actors.
Morocco exports 430,000 tons of citrus fruits.
World Bank Approves $100 Million To Support Public Resource Management
House to Vote on Morocco Trade Deal This Month.
Morocco: Bush Should Criticize Backsliding on Rights.
Domestic tourism in Morocco expands
Morocco waging 'merciless' struggle against terror, PM
Morocco to launch USD 361 mln worth tourism, industry projects
Urban cemeteries need annual 50 to 60 Ha
Korea Donates Morocco Vehicles to support anti-locust action
Morocco spent USD 80 Mln in anti-locust campaign
Spain sees to promote employment opportunities in Morocco
Interior tourism rises by 11 pc as at April 2004
Morocco gets over US$ 120 million in Loan and guarantee from Arab fund
Socially assisted connections in Morocco: Veolia Water
American official: U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement to strengthen Morocco's economy.
Fighting the Swarm.

Royal visit to Washington, new impetus to Morocco-US longstanding relations
WASHINGTON, JULY 07

The visit of HM King Mohammed VI to the United States, starting this Wednesday, is expected to boost the longstanding relationships between Morocco and the United States as well as bilateral trade. According to statistics of the US trade representatives' department, the United States exports to Morocco an average of USD 475 million-worth of goods and imports nearly USD 500 million from the country. Some 120 American companies are operating in Morocco. With a total investment of USD 600 million, they helped create 90,000 direct and indirect jobs.

The Free Trade Agreement signed between the two countries last June 15 will definitely help consolidate these economic ties.

In addition to its economic benefits for Morocco, the FTA, as Moroccan minister-delegate for foreign affairs and cooperation Taieb Fassi Fihri put it, constitutes a bridge between the United States and the Middle East, Europe and Africa. He noted that the deal will not only benefit Morocco but all countries with which the Kingdom has trade relations. The FTA will immediately eliminate tariffs on more than 95 percent of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products.

Besides the FTA, relations between the two countries were also marked this year by Washington's granting Morocco the status of "major non-NATO ally". Several analysts consider this step a recognition from the US to the north African country's role in the region for the promotion of peace, stability and security.

In addition to Morocco, only a small number of countries benefited of this status since the creation of NATO. These are: Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, South Korea, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand.

This move, said US president George W. Bush, was taken in appreciation of Morocco's "steadfast support in the global war on terror, and for HM King Mohammed VI's role as a visionary leader in the Arab world."

"Major non-Nato ally" means Morocco is joining an exclusive club of countries that enjoy a privileged security relationship with the United States. This status allows Morocco to participate in defense research and development programs, and benefit from a US government loan guarantee program.

Furthermore, Washington decided last year to give Morocco, starting from 2004, an aid of US $60 million to assist it in development programs and in its fight against terror.

The monarch's visit will thus further reinforce the two centuries-long relations binding Morocco and the United States. Indeed, The north African kingdom was among the first countries to recognize the US and give its ships the right to enter Moroccan ports.

The two countries had also ratified the first Peace and Friendship Treaty in July 1787. © MAP 2004

http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_mandari2.htm
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HM the King holds talks with President Bush
WASHINGTON, July 8

Visiting HM King Mohammed VI of Morocco on Thursday held talks with President George W. Bush at the White House, in the first day of the monarch's working visit to Washington.

Attending the talks were, on the Moroccan side, Mohamed Rochdi Chraibi, member of the royal cabinet, Mohamed Benaissa, Minister of Foreign Affairs
and cooperation, Taib Fassi Fihri, Minister-delegate for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Aziz Mekouar, ambassador to Washington, and on the American
side, Vice-President Dick Cheney, Secretary of State Colin Powell, Assistant Secretary of State for the Middle east and North Africa William Burns, and,
US Ambassador to Rabat Thomas Riley.

Talks focused on bilateral relations, regional and international issues such as the Middle East and the fight against terrorism, according to a US official source.

They were to be followed by a lunch hosted by President Bush in honor of the monarch.

This is the second meeting between the two leaders since April 2002.  The monarch's visit to Washington comes less than a month after Morocco and
the USA signed on June 15 a free trade agreement, and President Bush's decision to designate (on June 03) the Kingdom as a major non-NATO ally.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/general/gen_port.htm
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Morocco-US ties at their best, minister
RABAT, July 08

"It would be right to say that Moroccan-US ties are at their best," said spokesman for the Moroccan government, Nabil Benabdellah in an interview aired Wednesday by Morocco's national radio.

"The visit HM king Mohammed VI of Morocco has started in the United States Wednesday will bring the two countries closer and will deal with international issues including the situation in the Middle-East," he said.  Benabdellah, also communication minister, went on that "the US are a strategic partner for Morocco and vice versa." He recalled the free trade agreement signed between Rabat and Washington June 15 and the privileged status Morocco enjoys with America within NATO. US President George W Bush recently designated Morocco a "major non-NATO ally," a move that, according to the White House, will boost security
cooperation between the two allies.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Pact Fosters Economic, Political Stability: USTR's Algeier says pact strengthens protections for Moroccan workers
By David Shelby Washington File Staff Writer 07 July 2004

Washington -- The recently signed U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement will strengthen Morocco's economy and promote social and political development through associated legal reforms, according to Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Peter Algeier. "We believe it will help to build economic, political and social stability in Morocco, and it signals to other reforming countries in the region the benefits of pursuing market liberalization policies and a closer economic relationship with the United States," said Algeier in July 7 testimony before the House Committee on Ways and Means. "Our trade strategy toward the region is predicated on the idea that sustained economic growth can best be brought to the region through internally generated reforms and market-based trade-liberalizing policies, which are embodied in this agreement," he said. Algeier said that the agreement provides for duty-free trade on 95 percent of traded products upon its implementation. He also said that in addition to opening markets to increased tariff-free trade in manufactured goods, agricultural products and services, the agreement ensures higher standards of protection for the environment and for labor. "Each government commits to promote high levels of environmental protection, to strive to ensure that its labor laws provide for labor standards consistent with internationally recognized standards, and that they will not weaken or reduce labor and environmental laws to attract trade or investment," he said.

Algeier added, "What I would particularly like to emphasize in this regard is that this process has spurred significant labor law reform in Morocco, which entered into force a month ago, and prior to this process, had been stymied for several years." He said that the agreement also addressed other issues of economic and political concern such as transparency and bribery. Responding to congressional concerns about the agreement's protections for intellectual property rights (IPR), Algeier said that the agreement contains a "comprehensive chapter on intellectual property in that it covers patents, trademarks, copyright issues, and basically brings the Moroccan practice in law up to the sort of standards that we have here in the United States." "There are streamlined procedural rules for people bringing copyright and trademark claims. There are effective remedies, which include statutory damages. And enforcement officials may act on their own authority in border cases and criminal IPR cases, so they don't even have to wait for a particular petition to be brought to them. They do not have to have a formal complaint," he said. Several Democratic members of the committee questioned why the agreement does not specifically embrace the minimum labor standards of the
International Labor Organization (ILO). Algeier responded, "Looking at this particular agreement, we see that Moroccan law largely is consistent with ILO standards and is moving in that direction." "We're working together to achieve a standard of treatment that both of us seek. And the Labor Department has programs of cooperation with Morocco to help them, for example, implement their new labor code," he said. Algeier said, "We certainly did use the influence of this free trade agreement to encourage the passage of this labor reform law in Morocco, which is a very significant development." A Republican member of the Ways and Means Committee, Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, said the new Moroccan labor law raises the minimum employment age from 12 to 15, shortens the work week from 48 to 44 hours, requires overtime pay for additional hours, and calls for periodic reviews of the minimum wage, which has recently been raised by 10 percent. It contains provisions regarding worker safety, health care and gender equity, and provides protections for labor associations and striking workers, he added.
Committee Chairman Bill Thomas, a Republican from California, said that he intends to move the agreement to the House of Representatives for approval prior to the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled to begin July 26. (The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=July&x=20040707160648ndyblehs0.6790888&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
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Morocco, a regional economic superpower (US-Arab trade chamber)
WASHINGTON, July 08

The National US-Arab Chamber of Commerce (NUSACC) termed Morocco a "regional economic superpower" in its June-July issue, dedicated to Morocco, on the occasion of HM King Mohammed VI's working visit to the US starting July 07. The issue, which bears a portrait of the Moroccan monarch, said the meeting between him and US president George W. Bush, will reinforce the already strong ties binding Morocco and the US.

In view of this commitment to transparency, competitiveness and global economy, Morocco emerges today as a regional economic superpower, said chief of the chamber, David Hamod, who underlined the significant reforms carried out by the kingdom during last years, adding that this issue is dedicated to Morocco as a destination of businessmen and investors. NUSACC's June-July issue highlights Morocco's assets and progress in all sectors including tourism, banking and customs. NUSACC reiterates firm support to the free trade agreement signed between the two countries on June 15, recalling it is the second of the kind between the United States and an Arab country after Jordan, and the first with an African nation. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_depma17.htm
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$100 million loan to support Public Administration Reform program in Morocco.
Jul 4, 2004 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX)

The World Bank's Board of Directors has approved a US$100 million loan to support a Public Administration Reform program in Morocco. The objectives of this program are to support the Government of Morocco's efforts to improve the effectiveness of public resource management - a key step for accelerated growth and poverty reduction.  The reform program aims to improve the efficiency of budget expenditure by deconcentrating expenditures and accountability, providing greater
flexibility to regional administrations, and by introducing performance budgeting and auditing. The program will also reform civil service through enhancing efficiency and service quality; and improve the sustainability of fiscal accounts by controlling the size of the civil service payroll.  Over the years, the Moroccan administration's outdated service delivery and its weight on the national budget have been a cause for concern for the Moroccan government. In the wake of the Free Trade Agreements signed with the European Union and more recently, with the United States, Morocco has embarked on a series of economic and social reforms, with the aim of bringing the Moroccan economy up to par with its partners. Transforming the public administration into a catalyst for development became a major goal
for the country's policy makers.  "Morocco needs to reinvent itself, update its old administrative traditions and bring its civil service from a budget-consuming, investment-repelling apparatus to a lean, pro-active and investment friendly organization" said Minister of Finance Oualalou.

Based on an agreed set of public administration reforms, the Bank will provide, over a period of four years, financial and technical resources to the Government of Morocco for capacity building and budget support. This operation will be the first in a series of annual programmatic loans supporting the implementation of the reform program. The proposed loan would complement and strengthen ongoing multi-year cooperation through which the Bank is providing the Government with advice, training and technical assistance as required in the areas of budgetary management and civil service.  By the time the project is completed, key constraints affecting the effectiveness of public service delivery is expected to be address, contributing to the key goals of private sector development and poverty reduction. By helping keep the wage bill under control, it will, help ensure macroeconomic stability and provide the practical budgetary framework necessary to implement the Government's administrative decentralization orientation.  The Public Administration Reform Loan is a Libor-based Fixed Spread Loan (FSL) repayable in 20 years, including 5 years of grace period. (menareport.com)  By Mena Report Reporters  (C) 2004 Albawaba.com, All rights reserved.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=186w7974&Section=Countries&page=Morocco&l=102600040704
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Morocco gets USD118.6m loan
KUWAIT CITY

The Kuwait-based Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD) said on Tuesday it had signed a development loan with Morocco worth 35 million dinars (118.6 million dollars).  The loan will help finance a port and a highway in northern Morocco to enhance social and economic development and tourism on the Mediterranean coast, the fund said in a statement. The loan is repayable over 22 years at  an interest rate of 4.5 percent with a grace period of five years. AFESD, a multilateral Arab development organisation that began operations in 1974, has now lent 637.9 million dinars (2.16 billion dollars) to Morocco to
finance development projects.
http://www.bday.co.za/bday/content/direct/1,3523,1653506-6078-0,00.html
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Fire squads put out forest fire near Rabat
RABAT, July 05

An average 230 forest fires are reported annually in Morocco, burning some 2,800 ha every year, the High commissioner for water, forests and the control of desertification says. Although these figures are below the level registered in Mediterranean countries, they have a considerable impact in Morocco, given that forests account for 12% of national territory, that the weather is arid and that reforestation is difficult.  According to the official department, the 2004 weather conditions are propitious to fire forests eruption and propagation. Rain showers lasted all along the month of May, the resulting abundant grass carpet and the heat wave that affected the kingdom in June are all factors that require further vigilance by both authorities and citizens.

In June alone, there were 81 forest fires ravaging 597 ha and as at July 1st, 104 fires were reported and 690.65 ha were scorched. The document also stresses that human misbehaviours are behind half of the forest fires in the last forty years when some 114.000 ha were ravaged by fires.

A strategy for the fight against forest fires was devised by a cross-cutting ministerial committee to safeguard the Moroccan forests. It consist of training of field personnel, setting up an integrated command system, reinforcing collaboration between various department and raising awareness among local councils on ecology problems related to forests that occupy 9 million hectares. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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IDB donates $421,000 to Morocco's firemen.
RABAT, July 02

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) granted Morocco's civil protection (fire department) a US$ 421,000 "institutional donation". The sum will cover advice and training duties and 50% of equipment, computer and software expenses in the creation of an alert and rapid intervention system, as well as computer systems in the firemen's school.The aid is part of the flood prevention program concerning the cities of Mohammedia, Berrchid and Settat, which IDB is financing up to $40 million.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Moroccan city and Hollywood project twinning.
AGADIR, July 02- Moroccan southern city of Ouarzazate and Hollywood are projecting a twinning act and the creation of a Moroccan-US company of cinema producers, US producer Branko Lustig announced.

Lustig who has just ended shooting his mega movie "Kingdom of Heaven" told a meeting with local officials and film producers in the Moroccan city the project will open new perspectives for the development of the motion picture in Morocco and new economic and social projects.

He also expressed satisfaction at the shooting of his movie in the Moroccan city studios and praised as "promising" the construction of studios in the city by Dino de Laurentiis and associates. He said the studios will increase the city's attractivity as a location for mega productions from all over the world. However, he noted, the city, known among professionals as "Hollywood at the gates of the desert" suffers from a lack of skills, weak air links and poor promotion within international specialized fairs.

He said the city needs to have more hotels and restaurants, improve the quality of tourism services, promote the training of cinema professionals and create additional centers like the Euro-Mediterranean center of training in cinema and audiovisual crafts.He also stressed the need to create specialized film commissions.

Kingdom of Heaven, directed by Ridley Scott, stars Liam Neeson and Jeremy Irons. It tells the story of a young blacksmith, Balian of Ibelin, who leads the people of Jerusalem in defense against the Crusaders during the Crusades of the 12th Century.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Canada and Morocco join in water and sustainable development program.
AGADIR, July 1st

A budget of one million dirhams (US$ 111,000) was allocated by the Canadian agency of international development and the Moroccan interior ministry to finance water and local development projects in southern Morocco.  The PREDEL project, carried out between June 2003 and December 2004, by the non-governmental organization «Oxfam-Québec» and forty local associations, brings a contribution to improving living conditions of communities through a better management and use of water resources.It also comprises an education component by raising awareness among local populations on the importance of local development, mainly as regards water-associated issues.

The project will be endeavouring to improve associations' capacities through training, study trips and support to women's participation in associations.  Oxfam also says it has set up a fund to support initiatives by associations, women committees and town halls. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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France-Morocco partnership extended to non-governmental actors.
PARIS, July 05

Non-governmental organizations and associations were for the first time made important and necessary partners in partnership and cooperation between Morocco and France. This was underlined at the 6th Morocco-France heads of government meeting (July 4-5), co-chaired by Moroccan premier, Driss Jettou and his French counterpart, Jean-Pierre Raffarin.Non-governmental actors, who were invited to take part in the 6th meeting, unanimously underlined, at an encounter with the French civil society, the roles of the private sector, the civil society and local councils as a force of renovation and mobilization in sustainable and human development.

The meeting with the French civil society aimed at defining methodologies of cooperation and partnership between Morocco and France. "It is urgent to set up channels of dialogue between public authorities and different actors for development," noted president of the urban commune (Mayor) of Casablanca, Mohammed Sajid, who was taking part in the meeting.

Sajid, who hailed the participation of non-governmental actors at the high level meeting, underscored, nonetheless, the essential role of the state as a major actor in all sectors of development. "90 percent of means earmarked for development projects are allocated by the state," he said.

On Morocco-France cooperation, he said it can be reinforced in various sectors, particularly in infrastructures and social projects.The Moroccan prime minister had asserted that Morocco and France are determined to promote partnership by "enlarging it in such a way as to include actors that are more dynamic such as local councils, private economic actors and the civil society." © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco exports 430,000 tons of citrus fruits.

Morocco has exported 430,000 tons of citrus fruits during the 2003-2004, said the producers association which label this season as "one of the weakest averages in the last years."  The association of citrus fruits producers ASPAM in Morocco ascribed the weak volume to several factors, including a lower production and stiff
competition, MAP reported. The association also expressed its fears that the decline in the volume of exported fruits would affect income and, therefore, the financial profitability of citrus fruits orchards whose operation fees are already very high. (menareport.com)
http://www.menareport.com/story/TheNews.php3?sid=280321&lang=e&dir=mena
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World Bank Approves $100 Million To Support Public Resource Management
News Release No:2005/003/MNA  Contacts: In Washington Sereen Juma 1 (202) 473-7199
Sjuma@worldbank.org  WASHINGTON, July 1, 2004

The World Bank's Board of Directors approved today a US$100 million loan to support a Public Administration Reform program in Morocco. The objectives of this program are to support the Government of Morocco's efforts to improve the effectiveness of public resource management-a key step for accelerated growth and poverty reduction.  The reform program aims to improve the efficiency of budget expenditure by deconcentrating expenditures and accountability, providing greater flexibility to regional administrations, and by introducing performance budgeting and auditing. The program will also reform civil service through enhancing efficiency and service quality; and improve the sustainability of fiscal accounts by controlling the size of the civil service payroll. Over the years, the Moroccan administration's outdated service delivery and its weight on the national budget have been a cause for concern for the Moroccan government. In the wake of the Free Trade Agreements signed with the European Union and more recently, with the United States, Morocco has embarked on a series of economic and social reforms, with the aim of bringing the Moroccan economy up to par with its partners. Transforming the public administration into a catalyst for development became a major goal for the country's policy makers. "Morocco needs to reinvent itself, update its old administrative traditions and bring its civil service from a budget-consuming, investment-repelling apparatus to a lean, pro-active and investment friendly organization" said Minister of Finance Oualalou. Based on an agreed set of public administration reforms, the Bank will provide, over a period of four years, financial and technical resources to the Government of Morocco for capacity building and budget support. This operation will be the first in a series of annual programmatic loans supporting the implementation of the reform program. The proposed loan would complement and strengthen ongoing multi-year cooperation through which the Bank is providing the Government with advice, training and technical assistance as required in the areas of budgetary management and civil service. By the time the project is completed, key constraints affecting the effectiveness of public service delivery is expected to be address, contributing to the key goals of private sector development and poverty reduction. By helping keep the wage bill under control, it will, help ensure macroeconomic stability and provide the practical budgetary framework necessary to implement the Government's administrative decentralization orientation.

The Public Administration Reform Loan is a Libor-based Fixed Spread Loan (FSL) repayable in 20 years, including 5 years of grace period. For more information on this project, please visit: <http://www.worldbank.org/projects> For more information on World Bank activities in Morocco, please visit: <http://worldbank.org/ma> http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20221554~menuPK:34463~pagePK:64003015~piPK:64003012~theSitePK:4607,00.html
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House to Vote on Morocco Trade Deal This Month.
Wed Jul 7, 2004 01:02 PM ET  WASHINGTON (Reuters)

The U.S. House of Representatives is likely to vote this month on a newly negotiated free-trade agreement between the United States and Morocco, a key committee chairman said on Wednesday.  Timing of a Senate vote is unknown, but the deal is expected to enjoy broad Congressional support.  "It's my goal to move the agreement to the floor (of the House of Representatives) before the Democratic convention," said Republican Rep. Bill Thomas of California, the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

The proposed free-trade agreement would eliminate many Moroccan tariffs on U.S. goods, according to the U.S. Trade Representative's office.  "More than 95 percent of two-way trade in consumer and industrial products will become duty-free immediately," said Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier in testimony to the Ways and Means Committee, which oversees U.S. trade policy.  Timing of a Senate vote on the trade deal is still unknown, according to a Senate Finance Committee spokeswoman.  Congress aims to recess around July 23 for the Democratic National Convention and a traditional monthlong August break.  Unlike the serious opposition facing the Bush administration's free-trade agreement with five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, the deal with Morocco is expected to enjoy broad congressional support.  During Wednesday's House committee hearing, lawmakers were generally supportive of the U.S.-Morocco negotiation, although Democrats cited concerns over pharmaceutical provisions that they said could impede the distribution of medicines for AIDS and other public health threats.  Democrats also used the hearing to try to prod the Bush administration into seeking tougher labor standards in future trade agreements.  The White House hopes a free-trade deal with Morocco will advance U.S. foreign policy goals in Africa and the Middle East while also further opening a foreign market to U.S. agricultural goods, services and manufactured products.  Morocco imports $11.6 billion in products annually, according to USTR.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=5610672
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Morocco: Bush Should Criticize Backsliding on Rights.
(New York, July 8, 2004)

When Morocco's King Mohammed VI visits the White House today, U.S. President George W. Bush should clearly tell the Moroccan leader that the fight against terrorism does not justify backsliding on human rights, Human Rights Watch said today. "In the wake of the Abu Ghraib abuses, Bush needs to prove that his initiative to promote human rights in the Middle East is more than just rhetoric," said Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division. "Bush should clearly tell Morocco's king that human rights cannot be sacrificed in the name of counterterrorism."

On May 16, 2003, suicide bombers launched a wave of coordinated attacks in Morocco's largest city, Casablanca, taking the lives of 45 people and injuring more than 100. After the attacks, the Moroccan parliament passed antiterrorism legislation that unnecessarily compromises basic human rights. The antiterrorism law defines acts of terrorism in an overbroad and sweeping manner, and it extends the number of days persons suspected of terrorism can be held in incommunicado detention.

In the past year, Moroccan security forces have detained thousands of citizens, mostly Islamists, and have started trials against them on terrorism charges. Local and international human rights organizations reported scores of cases in which detainees were alleged to have been tortured and ill-treated, denied basic due process rights, and subjected to expedited and unfair trials. So far, 14 people have been sentenced to death in connection with the Casablanca blasts.

"Last year's terrorist attacks in Casablanca raised serious security concerns," said Whitson. "But Morocco's crackdown on civil liberties is a step in the wrong direction."

Background:

On May 16, 2003, 12 suicide bombers struck in 5 different locations in Casablanca, causing the death of 45 people (including the 12 bombers) and injuring more than 100. These attacks led to large-scale arrests, and more than 2,000 people who were detained and charged with terrorism offenses.

The antiterrorism legislation and its massive crackdown on Islamists that followed the Casablanca bombings represent a major regression in Morocco's achievements in ensuring human rights protections and basic freedoms over the last decade.

For example, the antiterrorism legislation extends from eight to 12 days the permissible length of time a detainee can be held in police custody without any judicial review, or access to counsel or family. The law also allows the judicial police, with a prosecutor's approval, to prevent terrorism suspects from meeting their lawyers for up to 10 days.

In the six years that preceded the Casablanca bombings, Morocco made substantial progress in the protection of human rights. The improvement started in the early 1990s when King Hassan II released hundreds of political prisoners and eased repression of the press and political activity. During the last decade, civil society and the local human rights community have become key players in the advancement and protection of human rights in Morocco. In January, King Mohamed VI inaugurated the Equity and Reconciliation Commission to document abuses perpetrated under his late father, Hassan II, who ruled from 1961 until his death in 1999.

Morocco has been no exception to the global backsliding in the protection of civil liberties and freedoms in the name of counterterrorism. Following the September 11 attacks in the United States, Morocco increased surveillance against Islamic militants and escalated its crackdown of Islamic groups, alleging that they were linked to Al-Qaida.

Last year the United States decided to give Morocco $60 million to assist in the fight against terrorism as well as for development programs. On June 3, the United States granted Morocco the status of "major non-NATO ally" and, on June 15, signed a free-trade agreement with the kingdom.
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/07/07/morocc9021.htm
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Domestic tourism in Morocco expands
Jul 8, 2004 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX)

Domestic tourism in Morocco advanced by 11 percent in the first four months of 2004, compared to 9 percent in the same period last year, indicated Moroccan tourism, handicraft and social economy Minister.  According to MAP, Adil Douiri stressed the need to focus on interior tourism. To this aim, he said, the government decided to draw up a comprehensive plan to foster this sector and make it profit to all social categories.  He explained that the plan, to be carried out in third phases, includes "emergency measures" to stimulate domestic tourism through promotional offers such as the operation "Kounouz Biladi" launched in the fall 2004 and which included reductions up to 50 percent in hotels. (menareport.com)  By Mena Report Reporters
(C) 2004 Albawaba.com, All rights reserved.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=190w4763&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
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Morocco waging 'merciless' struggle against terror, PM
PARIS, July 8

Morocco is waging a "merciless" struggle against terrorism in cooperation with Europe, Prime Minister Driss Jettou said in an interview published, here Thursday, by French weekly "le Point". "We have no complex and our collaboration with the different European services is perfect", insisted the Prime Minister who rejected allegations that Moroccan Islamism is "dangerous".

Driss Jettou also made it clear that, as far as human rights are concerned, "there will be no step backward." "There may be some drifts. When we know it, we investigate and act. There will be no impunity for those who seem to forget it,", he said.

The Moroccan Premier who participated early this week in Paris in the 6th meeting of the French-Moroccan heads of Government, had said that while fighting terrorism, Morocco is "keen to use only law as a weapon.".

He noted that "several hundreds" of arrests were conducted part of the counter-terror campaign, launched following the terrorist attacks that rocked the city of Casablanca in May 2003, killing 45 people, including the 12 suicide bombers.

"I am not ashamed to say that we register breaches from time to time, but fortunately only a limited number," he said, insisting that these cases are dealt with in accordance with the law.

Probes are conducted regularly and the "appropriate measures are taken against people responsible for such acts," The Prime Minister said adding that the same will be applied concerning the five cases mentioned by the report of Amnesty International (AI) on cases of human rights breaches in Morocco.

Three of the five cases were already mentioned in the report of the official Human Rights Advisory Council (CCDH), which was published several days before Amnesty International's report, he said.  © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_dep001.htm
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Morocco to launch USD 361 mln worth tourism, industry projects
RABAT, July 06

Morocco plans to launch several projects, estimated at 3.25 billion Dhs (US $361 million), to promote tourism and industry. These projects will be carried out by private groups that signed, here Thursday, five conventions with the Moroccan government to achieve this aim.  The first convention was signed with societé Palmeraie de Marrakesh to extend and renovate the Hotel Palmeraie Golf Palace and build a tourism compound with a budget of 266 million Dhs (US $29.5 million).

Another convention was signed with Ynna holding company, through its offshoot "Chafiqa," to build six hotels in Marrakesh, Casablanca and Essaouira. This project, estimated at 1.68 billion Dhs (US $186 million), will generate 1550 steady jobs.

The same group concluded another accord with the government to create a unity of paper and corrugated paper manufacturing in Mohammedia (near Casablanca), and extend its plant in the southern Atlantic city of Agadir. These two projects, to cost US $700 million (US $77.7), will create 210 direct jobs.

On the other hand, Societé Maroc Phosphor, branch of OCP group that is specialized in the production of acid phosphor and manure, will carry out a project worth 400 million Dhs (US $44.4 million). It consists in setting up a "heat recovery system" and another system of acid pre-treatment, in addition to a unity of phosphoric acid concentration.

As for the fifth convention, it is aimed at upgrading and increasing the production capacity of bottling plants for an amount of 210 million Dhs (US $2.3 million).

Moroccan Prime Minister, Driss Jettou, said these projects will definitely have an important impact on the Moroccan economy. He also highlighted the contribution of private investors to the development of the national economy.  MAP 2004
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Urban cemeteries need annual 50 to 60 Ha
RABAT, July 08

Urban cemeteries need an annual 50 to 60 ha of land, said on Wednesday Morocco's minister of Habous (Islamic endowments) and Islamic affairs, Ahmed Taoufiq. The minister who was answering an oral question at the House of Representatives (lower parliamentary chamber) explained that the needs are appraised according to the annual deaths average in cities which range between 8 and 10/1.000.

He also recalled that the Moroccan law forbids the allocation of Habous lands to cemeteries, adding that this legal problem should be addressed by thinking on ways to allocate habous land plots, public and private property and private sponsorship to cemeteries.

Regarding the re-use of urban cemeteries, Taoufiq said it is part of the issues on which the Moroccan Ulema (Islamic scholars) will have to adopt a fatwa (religious edict), in the respect of the Malekite rite, in force in Morocco.  © MAP 2004
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Korea Donates Morocco Vehicles to support anti-locust action
CASABLANCA, July 7

South Korea has donated Morocco a batch of vehicles to support the fight against locusts waged in the Kingdom. The donation, consisting of pickup cars, 3 trucks and a semi-trailer, is estimated at US$ one million. The UN food and agriculture organization has recently warned that "a dramatic increase in locusts could threaten crop production during the coming months," calling for urgent additional international aid. More than 4 million hectares have been treated so far in Algeria, Morocco,
Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, says the UN body.  MAP 2004
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Morocco spent USD 80 Mln in anti-locust campaign
RABAT, July 08

The fight against locusts cost Morocco USD 80 million, according to Moroccan Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries Minister, Mohand Laensar.  Laensar said in an interview published by the Moroccan daily "Aujourd'hui le Maroc" that 2.5 million hectares have been treated so far, deploring, nevertheless, that international cooperation to fight this plight which does not concern Morocco alone is "still below the required level."   He said the amount of 9 million Euro which the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) had dedicated to fight locusts is "very weak if we take into account all that is needed" to address this problem.

He added that Morocco's efforts focus on stopping the advance of swarms farther than the Atlas, and preventing them from reaching sensitive agricultural zones. He reassured farmers, however, that the situation is currently under control.  © MAP 2004
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Spain sees to promote employment opportunities in Morocco
RABAT, July 08

Visiting Spanish state secretary of immigration and emigration, Consuelo Rumi, said her country will see to promote employment opportunities in Morocco, in collaboration with Spanish enterprises and in different fields. The official, who had talks here Wednesday with her Moroccan peer, Nouzha Chekrouni, told MAP news agency following the meeting that "this is the best means to curb illegal immigration."

Meetings will be held later with Moroccan officials to inform them on the Spanish enterprises' needs, she said, terming her talks with Chekrouni "positive". This meeting, she said, will also make it possible to find ways to ease access to Moroccan workers in Spain by legal means. For her part, the Moroccan official said "we discussed our respective immigration policies and how recruitment of Moroccan expatriates in Spain is going. "We also assessed our joint patrols cooperation and pondered application of the agreement on repatriation of non-accompanied minors."  The Spanish minister, who is on a working visit to Morocco July 07-08, will
be meeting other officials. © MAP 2004
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Interior tourism rises by 11 pc as at April 2004
RABAT, July 07

Interior tourism in Morocco progressed by 11 percent in the first four months of 2004, against 9 percent in the same period last year, announced Moroccan tourism, handicraft and social economy Minister.  Adil Douiri, who was speaking during the House of Advisors' question-time, underscored the need to focus on interior tourism. To this aim, he said, the government decided to draw up a comprehensive plan to foster this sector and make it profit to all social categories.

He explained that the plan, to be carried out in third phases, includes "emergency measures" to stimulate domestic tourism through promotional offers such as the operation "Kounouz Biladi" launched in the fall 2004 and which included reductions up to 50 percent in hotels.

According to Douiri, the second phase of the plan consists in promotional prices all year long. As for the third phase, it aims at creating a new tourism product adapted to the accommodation needs of Moroccan families and encouraging investors to pay more attention to interior tourism. Douiri deemed that the problems of the tourism sector are essentially due to citizens' lack of financial means and the lack of products adapted to Moroccan tourists. © MAP 2004
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Morocco gets over US$ 120 million in Loan and guarantee from Arab fund
RABAT, July 05

Morocco and the Arab fund for economic and social development signed this Monday two conventions for a loan and a guarantee, of a total amount of 35 million Kuwaiti dinars (over US$ 120 million) destined to finance the construction of a speed way linking the Tangiers Mediterranean Port to the national highway. The 54 km-long speed way will allow users to rapidly reach the port and its projected free trade zones.  The Kuwait-based fund has so far financed 46 development projects in Morocco, for a total amount of US$ 2.3 billion.   The fund, set up in 1968, is a regional development body that finances, through preferential loans, economic and social development projects in Arab countries. It is mainly active in energy, agriculture and rural development, transports
and telecommunications, industry and mining, and water treatment. © MAP 2004
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Socially assisted connections in Morocco: Veolia Water

Did you know that the main obstacle to providing quality water and sanitation services to poor communities is their cost? Veolia Water is working in Morocco to provide socially minded connection fees in order to reduce inequalities in access to these essential services. In 2002 Veolia Water http://www.veoliaenvironnement.com/en/activities/water/ , a division of Veolia Environment http://www.veoliaenvironnement.com/ , started tackling the tough issue of providing quality water and sanitation services to the poor in Morocco by servicing informal neighborhoods through its subsidiaries La Redal and Amendis.
The key challenge to successfully implement this program is the creation of innovative solutions that help bridge the gap between what it costs to provide water, sanitation and electricity services and what residents can afford to pay. Connections to water and sanitation services in Morocco typically cost between US$ 600 and US$ 3,000 per connection, a sum that is substantially more than most residents can pay in one lump sum or even in twelve monthly installments. Veolia plans to offer customers the option of paying monthly over five to seven years, provided they fulfill certain criteria: 
* The family's total income must be less than 3,500 Moroccan dirhams per month; 
* They must live, with district approval, in a house or neighborhood classified as "sordid" by an ad hoc public-private committee that is part of the public-private partnership between the local government and Veolia. 

Currently, Veolia finances this installment payment arrangement itself, but is in contact with potential partners, such as local micro-credit institutions. Veolia is also investigating alternative mechanisms. For example, in Rabat, the communities and local governments provide subsidies, and the company is in active discussions with both international development agencies and local financial institutions that are testing various finance models.  More than anything, Veolia needs to work with local populations. To establish a successful partnership with "informal" neighborhood residents Veolia needs to select the right neighborhood leader or association to advise on an angle of approach and the "dos and don'ts", to unite the inhabitants, to explain the company's proposal and to speak on its behalf. To this end, in 2003 Veolia joined forces with UNICEF http://www.unicef.org  and the French Committee for UNICEF http://www.unicef.fr/  to participate in the implementation of a program that aims to combat the causes which push children, especially girls, to drop out of school. Backed by the Moroccan government and scheduled to last three years, this partnership also associates the urban district of Tangiers, a Moroccan law NGO, the Amendis Corporation and Waterforce, Veolia Water's operational unit. The two focus areas are: 
* Improvement of health infrastructures in schools (installation of permanent water points and toilet facilities) 
* Building teacher and parental awareness of hygiene and health issues for schoolchildren and families. 

Based on a diagnostic study of 92 schools in the Tangiers region, work will be undertaken on nine establishments whose infrastructure and educational back-up needs have been defined as being a priority. Work is already underway in six schools.

The non-governmental organizations and environmental groups the company works with on this and other such issues can also be useful in communicating the socially-assisted connections themselves, as well as increasing interest in them by joining leading environmental, hygiene and public service awareness campaigns. However, the non-governmental organizations that are most important for SACs are the inhabitants themselves, represented by the neighborhood associations for which access to the proposed services is something quite real. Veolia also needs the very best supporters in these neighborhoods to help find the best-fitting solution.

A major strength of Amendis and Redal lies in their "mobile agencies". These refurbished buses and trucks go to out-of-the-way neighborhoods and ensure such administrative services as subscriptions, bill payment, information, etc. They are also consolidated operational bases for socially assisted connections. These mobile agencies bring the company closer to underprivileged customers and those living in rural areas, making it easier to identify them and create a customer database. In Morocco there are currently eight mobile agencies reaching out to neighborhood residents.  Tétouan will soon be the testing ground for the involvement of residents in some of the excavation work. Through this process Veolia aims to reduce connection costs without compromising quality. Working together in such an environment should lead to greater trust between Veolia and the local population.  The socially assisted connections policy that Veolia Water has implemented
in Morocco is a concrete example of a professional provider's contribution to reducing inequalities in access to essential services.
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American official: U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement to strengthen Morocco's economy.

The recently inked U.S.-Morocco Free Trade Agreement will strengthen Morocco's economy and promote social and political development through associated legal reforms, according to Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Peter Algeier.   "We believe it will help to build economic, political and social stability in Morocco, and it signals to other reforming countries in the region the benefits of pursuing market liberalization policies and a closer economic relationship with the United States," said Algeier Wednesday testimony before the House Committee on Ways and Means.   "Our trade strategy toward the region is predicated on the idea that
sustained economic growth can best be brought to the region through internally generated reforms and market-based trade-liberalizing policies, which are embodied in this agreement," he said in comments quoted by the USINFO website.

Algeier said that the agreement provides for duty-free trade on 95 percent of traded products upon its implementation.

He also said that in addition to opening markets to increased tariff-free trade in manufactured goods, agricultural products and services, the agreement ensures higher standards of protection for the environment and for labor.

"Each government commits to promote high levels of environmental protection, to strive to ensure that its labor laws provide for labor standards consistent with internationally recognized standards, and that they will not weaken or reduce labor and environmental laws to attract trade or investment," he said.

He said that the agreement also addressed other issues of economic and political concern such as transparency and bribery.

Responding to congressional concerns about the agreement's protections for intellectual property rights (IPR), Algeier said that the agreement contains a "comprehensive chapter on intellectual property in that it covers patents, trademarks, copyright issues, and basically brings the Moroccan practice in law up to the sort of standards that we have here in the United States." 

"There are streamlined procedural rules for people bringing copyright and trademark claims. There are effective remedies, which include statutory damages. And enforcement officials may act on their own authority in border cases and criminal IPR cases, so they don't even have to wait for a particular petition to be brought to them. They do not have to have a formal complaint," he said. (menareport.com)
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Fighting the Swarm.
Morocco, July-2 Volume 36. 09.07.2004

By July 9, with local field offices reporting locust swarms up to 8 sq km in size over the central interior of Mauritania, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) sent out an urgent plea: "International assistance is desperately required". Yet some in neighbouring Morocco are now arguing that this alarming message has come too late, with too little still being done to combat the menace.

In Rabat, the alarm bells have been ringing for some time. Morocco has a key role to play in the battle against the swarms, as the kingdom is a major spring breeding ground. This puts Morocco on the frontline of international efforts to prevent the larvae from hatching. Yet, with swarms of up to 200 locusts per sq metre heading right now for the famished North African Sahel, these efforts appear to have been far from successful. In its July 9 warning, the FAO reported that over the previous five days, more locust swarms had migrated from north-west Africa, with at least 45 reports of immature swarms in the central interior of Mauritania, around Ouadane, Tidjikja, Tichit and in the south. Although some of these had been treated with pesticides, most of the swarms are highly mobile and have been dispersing throughout the summer breeding areas, where additional rains have fallen in the last few days.

Many more swarms are expected to form in the spring breeding areas in north-west Africa - such as Morocco - and invade southern Algeria and the Sahel (Mauritania, Mali and Niger) in the coming days and weeks. Meanwhile, intensive aerial and ground control operations in north-west Africa against late instar hopper bands (large groups of young locusts) and newly formed swarms in Morocco, Algeria, Libya and Tunisia are underway. The great danger is that the swarms that arrive in the Sahel will mature and lay eggs during July, meaning that new swarms could start to form by early September. The dark clouds of locusts now gathering are already being compared to the last great plague, back in 1987-89. That cost some $300m to bring under control, with operations across 28 countries. This time, the situation looks equally alarming; since June 30, some 106,000 ha across north-west Africa have become newly infested with insects. On the other hand, more than 4m ha have been treated with pesticides so far in Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania. These chemical agents are some of the only weapons in the anti-locust armoury at present, as given the sheer size of the swarms and their geographical spread, spraying is really the only way to treat them.

Meanwhile, the international community has been gearing up, after the FAO issued its first warning on July 5. So far, some $9m of emergency assistance has been pledged. The FAO has contributed nearly $2m from its own resources and donors have provided $7m. In addition, each affected country has contributed substantially to the locust campaign. Yet Moroccan officials have been quick to point out how little this international aid is - and to highlight the fact that a more-sustained, long-term strategy is needed. "The $9m being talked about recently is a very weak figure," Moroccan Agriculture Minister Mohand Laense told the daily Aujourd'hui le Maroc July 6, especially "if one takes account of the size of the need".

After stating that Morocco had so far spent some $80m in trying to break the locusts' attack, Laense then accused the FAO of sounding the alarm on the swarms far too late and being inadequately prepared for any fight back. However, the minister then reassured the newspaper's readers that he was confident of the methods now being employed and that the situation was now under control.

Yet the locust swarms have been gathering for some time now, a fact many in Morocco have long been aware of. The insects' traditional breeding grounds are in the southern slopes of the Atlas Mountains in Morocco and Algeria and these are monitored regularly. Keith Cressman, the FAO's Locust Information Officer, had warned back in April that what was developing was "the most serious locust situation in the region for 10 years". Back then, there was the first serious concern voiced that a new infestation could seriously threaten Morocco's citrus harvest.

So far, the FAO has not responded to the minister's criticism, but has drawn attention to the need for non-crisis solutions to the locust menace. "To respond better to future emergencies," an FAO press release on July 5 said, "longer-term support is also needed to strengthen national capacities in early warning, early reaction and research within FAO's Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases [EMPRES]."

Part of the problem is that the locusts, naturally enough, do not respect national boundaries and drift with warm air currents where they will. As such, the national response in one country can affect the success or otherwise of anti-locust strategies in another. Morocco has thus been assisting Mali, Mauritania and Niger with pesticides, vehicles, equipment and experts, as well as conducting its own operations. These Sahel countries lack the necessary resources to combat the locusts on their own - and thus the need for capacity building and co-ordination by international bodies such as the FAO.

However, many in Morocco - and elsewhere in the region - feel that a lot more needs to be done by the international community here, and fast.
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