Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
January 1 2005

13.7pc of Moroccan population live below poverty line, Minister
Morocco publishes king's salary
Credit guarantees to exports of US agriculture products to Morocco.
Wind Energy: KFW grants a EUR50 million loan to ONE
Renewable Energy in Morocco
Morocco's renewable energy sector boosted by three international agreements
21,860 jobs to be created in Morocco's northern region 160 national and international businesses to join Tanger-Med Free Zones
Compulsory Health Insurance: Social dialogue leads to fairer health insurance
Professional begging must be fought
At War with 'Professional' Beggars
Morocco to suppress Return Visa for resident foreigners
Morocco exceeds 5 million tourists, as government vows more perks to investments
Morocco-US FTA: Government did its best to defend Morocco's interests
Morocco's citrus fruits exports rise by 19% until Dec.21
US academic highlights importance of Moroccan reforms
Government passes draft law criminalizing torture
Morocco`s tallest man is 2.32 metres
Smallest firms dominate job creation in Morocco
Local teacher visits Morocco
Tourism Sector in Morocco Enjoys Healthy Recovery in 2004
Sit-in calls on Parliament not to pass Morocco-USA FTA
More than 750,000 economic entities exist in Morocco
African Food Industry: Four Moroccan companies among Africa's most competitive ones
Family Code: Top Moroccan Reform of 2004
2004 Major social events

13.7pc of Moroccan population live below poverty line, Minister
RABAT, Dec. 28

Nearly 13.7 percent of the Moroccan population currently live below poverty line with less than 3,500 Dhs (around US $388) per year, revealed the Moroccan Social Development, Family and Solidarity Minister. Abderrahim Harouchi noted in an interview published Tuesday in "Le Matin du Sahara et du Maghreb" daily that social exclusion affects thousands of people living in shanty towns and unhealthy housing zones. According to the Minister, illiteracy, which he deemed a factor of exclusion, touches 44pc of the Moroccan overall population that is estimated at over 29 millions.

Fighting poverty in rural areas, he said, requires an "integrated development program including literacy programs, training, revenue-generating activities and support to the local development process. Harouchi also evoked in the interview the problem of "professional" beggars, who "use rented or stolen children" in their activities. "We cannot turn a blind eye to such mistreatments," he said, highlighting the role of citizens in dissuasion. He noted that his department has signed conventions with 36 associations in Casablanca and Rabat to create revenue-generating activities to help these beggars. Last November, Harouchi said a budget of 20 million DH (over US$ 2 million) was earmarked for a program to control beggary and the use of children in begging.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/forum6.htm 
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Morocco publishes king's salary.
Wednesday, 29 December, 2004

A Moroccan magazine has taken the unprecedented step of publishing details of King Mohammed VI's salary. The French-language magazine Tel Quel says the monarch earns less than a typical company director in the developed world, under $45,000 a month. The annual expenses of the royal court are said to be around $250m. Correspondents say the publication of such figures is a unique event in the Arab region, whose unelected leaders are some of the richest in the world. King Mohammed has been spearheading a drive to modernise his society and introduce a culture of accountability, correspondents say. He has made the fight against poverty in Morocco one of his priorities, earning him the name "guardian of the poor". Since coming to power in 1999, he has embarked on a series of political and economic changes.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4132315.stm 
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Credit guarantees to exports of US agriculture products to Morocco.
Rabat, Dec. 27

The United States Department of Agriculture will make US $20 million available in credit guarantees for sales of American agriculture commodities to Morocco. The budget, established under the Export Credit Guarantee Programs (ECGP), offers to Moroccan importers the possibility to benefit from American funds to purchase American agriculture commodities, the United States embassy in Morocco said in a release. Through this program, the US department of Agriculture guarantees up to 65pc of the total of commodities imported for a period that can reach 180 days.

According to the release, Moroccan importers should not necessarily be subscribed in the US Department of Agriculture to be eligible for guarantees offered under the program.

Morocco and the United States signed last June 15 a Free Trade Agreement that will immediately eliminate tariffs on more than 95 percent of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products. All remaining tariffs on these goods are to be eliminated within nine years. The agreement also significantly reduces barriers to agricultural products and services. In 2003, the United States exported over $152 million in agricultural products to Morocco and imported about $70 million.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_deppar09.htm 
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Wind Energy: KFW grants a EUR50 million loan to ONE.
28/12/2004

The German bank KFW approved a EUR50 million loan (MAD 550 million) to the Moroccan National Office of Electricity (ONE) to finance a 60 MW wind-energy plant to be sited in Cap Sim, 15 km south of Essaouira. The overall cost of the plant, which will be built on 200 hectares with an annual production capacity of 210 GWH, is estimated to be at MAD 650 million (EUR54 million). It will be operational late 2006, according to a communiqué of ONE dated Monday. Under the terms of the deal, the loan will be granted in two portions of EUR25 million each. The first one, to be redeemed over a 40-year period, calls for a 10 years deferred payment; while the second one, to be redeemed over a 10-year period, has a 5 years deferred payment. During the last thirty years of financial cooperation with the bank KFW, ONE has signed eight conventions totalling EUR219 million.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=2011 
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Renewable Energy in Morocco
28 December 2004

* New perspectives for creating sustainable energy
* Moroccan engineer leads the way to generating cheap electricity
A Moroccan hydraulics technician, Cherif Massaoudi Zoheir, has succeeded in inventing and patenting the first electric power plant fuelled by atmospheric pressure, a concept so far hard to achieve by scientists across the world. Massaoudi's invention was presented before engineers of Morocco's Centre for the Development of Renewable Energies (CDER), after being instigated by the Ministry of Energy and Mines. It received the approval of the audience, in view of its importance in tackling two of the most serious problems Morocco and the rest of third world are facing: achieving self-sufficiency in energy while protecting the environment.

Not only does the approach allow the production of cheap equipment and an almost free electricity, but it also helps to protect the environment from harmful gases, especially those generated by hydrocarbon fuels, as well as offering the possibility of creating electric power to a diversity of applications in different sectors and activities.

The system makes it possible to trap entering atmospheric pressure and put it into overpressure, leading to its flow reversal by means of escapement. Thus, the vacuum storage is never worn down, making a continued attraction of the atmospheric pressure.

The constant pressure resulted from the interaction between atmospheric pressure and the vacuum generates an electric power higher than the one produced by windmills or solar panels. Although atmospheric pressure is slightly altered by climate changes according to the seasons of the year, it can change dramatically according to the height above sea level. So, pressure can reach 1013 hPa at the level of the sea, and barely a 2.5 hPa at an altitude of 4000m.

Thus, this electric plant, running by pressure gradient, converts the atmospheric pressure's momentum into a mechanical force exercised on pistons, thereby generating energy.

The importance of this process is that the vacuum is never worn down, which allows an infinite operation cycle. The vacuum's break needs to be done only once, after which the plant runs non-stop, at no cost. Water can help too! In Canada, a team of researchers from the University of Alberta, led by Dr. Larry Kostiuk and Dr. Daniel Kwok, carried out a research project on the subject. The aim was to find new methods to generate electric power by exploiting the natural electro-kinetic properties of water by pumping it through micro-channels.

The principle is very simple. When water travels over a surface, its ions rub against each other, generating a slight electrical charge on the surface. But to make use of it as a sustainable means of power remained technically out of reach.

As a matter of fact, the power generated from a single channel is extremely small, about a nano-amp. Kostiuk and his team used a glass disk two centimetres in diameter, which contained 450,000 circular micro-channels, each about 16 microns across. The power generated from the whole mechanism reached 1,500 nano-amps, still not enough to be exploited at a commercial scale.

The team was confident that, by increasing the pressure drop and adjusting the size of the micro-channels, the power output could be improved.

"This is the first new way to produce sustainable electricity in 160 years," said Kostiuk. "It allows for the direct conversion of the energy of moving liquid to electricity with no moving parts and no pollution." Indeed, the process is considered a breakthrough in energy creation.

The environmental benefit of clean energy that uses safe, renewable materials motivated Kostiuk's team to explore how their prototype device may be developed into a battery for commercial use. They have been working withthe Technology Transfer Group (TTG) at the University of Alberta to develop a commercialization strategy for their invention, and a patent application was already filed by the university to obtain a broad and early protection for it.
By Mounir El Boughdadi © Morocco Times 2004 Article originally published by Morocco Times <http://www.zawya.com/providertracker.cfm?http://www.moroccotimes.com&provider=morocco> 28-Dec-04
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=ZAWYA20041228084915&&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C 
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Morocco's renewable energy sector boosted by three international agreements.
Economics, 12/30/2004

The renewable energy sector in Morocco has been boosted by the signature, Wednesday in Marrakech, of a three-party cooperation agreement between Morocco and Italy, on the one hand, and Morocco and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), on the other.

The Agreements aims at developing the Moroccan market of the solar-water heaters (Promasol), through two mechanisms of financing for the promotion of the Moroccan market of renewable energies. The first agreement relates to cooperation between the Italian Ministry of the Environment and the Territory and the Moroccan Center for the Development of Renewable Energies (CDER), that will benefit from a one million dollars Italian contribution. The second agreement that sets up the framework of cooperation with the Italian Ministry of the Environment and the Territory as well as with the PNUE and the UNDP is related to the use of renewable energies in the hotel sector.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Moroccan Minister of Energy and Mines, Mohammed Boutaleb, underlined the importance of this technology for the development of partnerships, in particular within the framework of the Mediterranean Program of Renewable Energies.

Solar water heaters in Morocco rose from 20,738 in 1998 to 111,332 in 2004, CDER said adding that the development of this sector will have a positive impact on industry as it will create more than 1,000 jobs and bring some 1.2 billion Dirhams investments (about 130 million dollars).
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/041230/2004123022.html 
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21,860 jobs to be created in Morocco's northern region 160 national and international businesses to join Tanger-Med Free Zones.
By Karima Rhanem 26/12/2004 Casablanca, Nov 26

About 160 national and international businesses requested to join Tanger-Med Export Free Zones, said a communiqué recently issued by TMSA, an entity in charge of the Tanger-Med Port expected to be ready by 2007. These businesses, mainly specialized in exports, will eventually create 21,860 jobs, added the release. The same source revealed that tourism, textile, food production, and electronics are among the most needed sectors in the region, adding that Spanish investors give more importance to ready-made clothes.

Said El Hadi, director general of TMSA, said that vocational training will be programmed soon, which should make it possible for people of the region to benefit from the enormous employment opportunities included in the project.

This project targets a proximity market of over 600 million consumers, including Western Europe, Western Africa, North Africa and North America. By 2020, Tanger-Med is expected to reach a container traffic of 3 million TEU, and employ 145,000 people.

The port's particular position on the Straits of Gibraltar, at the crossing of two major maritime routes, and 15km from the European Union, will enable it to serve a market of hundreds of millions of consumers through the industrial and commercial Free Zones which will be run by well-known private operators. It will also win part of the strong growth market of container transhipment and become the leading hub for cereal transhipment, a brand-new facility in the north-west African region.

The port complex will have considerable economic impacts in terms of job opportunities, added value creation and foreign investment. In addition, the construction of the port will yield significant results, particularly through foreign investments and the free zones operations (direct and indirect added value, direct gains, jobs and foreign investment).

The project as a whole requires total investment estimated at MAD 11 billion (US $1 billion), divided as follows: Construction and equipment of the new port (MAD 4 300 million / US $ 390 million), Installation of facilities in the free zones (MAD 2 300 million / US $ 210 million), Connection infrastructure (MAD 3 400 million / US $310 million /), Off-site work -water, electricity, telephone- ( MAD 1 000 million / US $90 million).

In June 2003, Bouygues of France won an estimated contract of MAD 2.42 billion for the building of the Mediterranean harbor. Originally planed for the Atlantic coast, 20 km south of Tangier, it was eventually re-sited halfway between Tangier and Tetouan, the two major northern cities.

On September 14, 2004, the government signed in Rabat an agreement with the Islamic Bank of Development for a loan of $65 million that will finance part of this railroad link.

The MAD 11 billion project is of great proportions: a logistic free zone of 90 hectares, an industrial zone of 600 hectares (20 km away from the port), a commercial duty-free zone of 200 hectares (15 km away from the port) and tourism facilities in Fnideq.

The Hassan II Fund for Development will provide MAD 2 billion of the 11 billion budgeted. The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development will offer a US $100 million grant and a US $ 200 million credit, while private investors will underwrite the rest. Many benefits are expected from such a project, and the region's residents have high hopes it will result in the creation of new jobs.

The economic conditions of the north are challenging: many people work in the parallel market; infrastructure is not very well developed and the unemployment rate is high, compared with the rest of the nation. Government estimations expect Tanger-Med to create 145,000 jobs in the long run, 12,000 of which will be directly involved in the operation of the port.

Fnideq, and the northern region in general, is notorious for being a market for all sorts of smuggled products from the occupied enclave of Ceuta. This traffic has a negative impact on the Moroccan economy be it in unpaid taxes or in the low quality of the goods imported. The choice of establishing a duty-free zone in Fnideq is highly important and authorities hope it will help bring the informal economy back into the legal sector.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=1981 
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Compulsory Health Insurance: Social dialogue leads to fairer health insurance.
25/12/2004 By Mourad Aziz
More than 400,000 people in the private sector will benefit from the Compulsory Health Insurance project agreed upon last Wednesday in Rabat by the government and the Democratic Labour Confederation (CDT) concerning employees from the private sector The government and the CDT met last Wednesday to discuss amendments concerning the law 00.65, particularly the articles related to the Compulsory Health Insurance project, and to discuss the kind of laws necessary to put the agreement into effect.

To achieve this aim, a technical commission, composed of the representatives of CDT, the Prime Minister's office, the Ministry of Health and all the other governmental departments, reached a compromise about three main points of conflict between them: workers with minimum wages, the range of services to be met and the medicines with lowest prices.

"Concerning employees with minimum wages, the government agreed to move 1% of the family allowances, paid by employees to the National Office of Social Security, to the compulsory health insurance plan. The employee and the employer will pay 4% each, while 1% will be provided by family allowances. In order for the 400, 000 employees in the private sector not to be excluded, we suggested that 1% be deducted from the 7.5% employers pay for the family compensation. This has secured an amount of MAD 500 million, which will increase the number of beneficiaries," said Mustapha El Chennaoui, a member of the CDT.

He added that the CDT would give the government a one year period to put into effect the Health Security law, so as to cover all the treatments related to ordinary and widespread illnesses.

Finally, concerning lowest prices medicines, both parties agreed to set up a commission composed of experts in order to draw up a list of the medicines that the Social Security will cover.

According to the same source, the government agreed that compensation would cover 70% of costs for the treatment of the most expensive, serious and acute illnesses (41 in total) as well as other kinds of treatment including the care of mothers, and their children until they reach the age of 12. As for the public sector, the extent of compensation was fixed at 90%.

The parties to the social dialogue, particularly the CDT, agreed upon the proposals made by the government concerning the public sector. They also agreed to have a meeting in which representatives of employees' unions and employers' syndicate would sign the minutes of the meeting and present them later to the Prime Minister. The parties also agreed that a Fund for Health Assistance would be set up by the government in 2006. "This system must be adopted so that 70% of employees of the private sector can benefit from the compulsory health insurance plan," said the same source.

Driss Jettou, the Moroccan Prime Minister, said on Friday Dec. 17 that the compulsory health insurance system would take effect next January, while the Fund for Health Assistance for employees with minimum wages would be adopted gradually and would be first applied in certain Moroccan cities next January before being extended to all the cities. Moreover, poor people will be given special cards for free treatment, and the Poverty Certificate will remain applicable until the system of health assistance is applied for people with minimum wages.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=2&id=1956 
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Professional begging must be fought.
28/12/2004

Moroccan Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity Abderrahim Harouchi insisted on the need to fight "professional" begging, adding that citizens can help eradicate it. The kind of begging we must fight is professional and organized. It uses rented or stolen children who are drugged with more or less toxic products and who are under -nourished. It also uses handicapped people », he said in an interview with the Moroccan daily Le Matin du Sahara et du Maghreb, adding that « we can no longer turn a blind eye on these ill-treatments, and we call on the public not to give in to this psychological blackmail in order to discourage this practice". On the other hand, "The authorities will have to apply the law and take the measures necessary to try to reintegrate these beggars in society », said Harouchi.

The Social Development Ministry recently signed conventions with 36 associations in order to help create income generating activities in Casablanca and Rabat. The projects will cost a total of MAD 7 million. According to Harouchi, 13.7 % of Morocco's population are living below the poverty line, that is 3,500 DH a year. In addition to this, thousands of people who live in slums, unlawful dwelling and under-equipped, peripheral areas are suffering from social exclusion.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=2019 
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At War with 'Professional' Beggars.
Tue Dec 28 RABAT (Reuters)

Professional beggars prowling about the streets of Moroccan cities with "rented" and drugged children to attract charity may have their days numbered. The government plans to crack down on the scam used by faux beggars in growing numbers for a kind of "emotional blackmail," a cabinet minister was quoted Tuesday as saying. "We must fight against this professional, organized begging with children that are either rented or stolen (from their parents), numbed with narcotics or malnourished," said Social Development, Family and Solidarity Minister Abderrahim Harouchi. The minister, in an interview with daily Le Matin, quoted a report from a local NGO which said about 15 percent of children under 7 seen with beggars in the streets were "rented" for between $6 and $12 per week. Many ordinary Moroccans know of the scam, usually conducted by young women who often target foreign tourists in major cities like the capital Rabat, Casablanca, Fez or Marrakesh. Some say this tarnishes the image of the Muslim kingdom, where about 14 percent of its 30 million people live under the poverty line -- about one dollar a day.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041228/od_nm/beggars_dc 
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Morocco to suppress Return Visa for resident foreigners
RABAT, Dec. 28

Morocco will suppress starting from January 1st the Return Visa for foreigners residing in Morocco, announced the General Direction of National Security. This decision was taken following the adoption of Law N- 02/03, of 11 November 2003, in relation to the entry and stay of foreigners in Morocco, emigration and illegal migration. The suppression of Resident Return Visa will allow foreigners living in Morocco to move freely from and to the country. They will only have to carry a resident card or a receipt of their stay request.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm 
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Morocco exceeds 5 million tourists, as government vows more perks to investments
RABAT, Dec.29

Morocco attracted between last January and November 5.12 million tourists, posting a progression of 17% compared to the same period of 2003, says the tourism, social economy and handicraft ministry. The figure includes Moroccan expatriates, with 2.61 million (a progression of 10%). A total of 1.08 million French nationals chose to vacation in Morocco, followed by Spaniard (280,687), Britons 155,354, Germans (134,798) and Italians (102,650). Tourists from the Maghreb countries were estimated at 74,119. The number of hotel guest nights stood at 12.25 million units, increasing by 18 pc as compares to Jan-Nov. 2003.

Meanwhile, the government has vowed to effect additional incentives to investments in the sector of tourism by encouraging insurance companies and pension funds to invest in the sector. The government will also conclude with banks new long-term loans to finance hotels, says tourism, social economy and handicraft minister, Adil Douiri. Other measures include simplifying and rationalizing the local taxation system, alleviating the fiscal burden in force after the gulf war and the Casablanca terrorist attacks of May 2003. Hotels profits will exempted from taxes for five years, followed by a 50% tax cut and the cancellation of local taxes applied to he tourism sector. Several tourism zones were developed and conceded to private investors, in addition to allocating a fund to support real estate in order to lower the price of tourism facilities-bound land plots, the minister told the parliament on Tuesday.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_dep21604.htm 
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Morocco-US FTA: Government did its best to defend Morocco's interests
RABAT, Dec. 28

The Moroccan Government did its best to defend the country's interests during negotiations on the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) that was signed between Rabat and Washington last June 15, said, on Tuesday, Moroccan Communication Minister, Nabil Benabdellah. The Moroccan official, also government's spokesman, made this statement during a press briefing held at the end of the Government Council.

Asked about sit-ins to be staged by those who oppose the Morocco-US FTA, Benabdellah said the government is open to all parties, particularly "those expressing some reservations concerning the accord." The government, he said, has presented all guarantees through meetings broadcast on Radio and TV, and direct encounters with the concerned parties to give them the necessary guarantees, proving that the agreement represents no threats to the economic, cultural and social realms. He recalled that the accord will be submitted to parliament which, he said, would provide the opportunity to deepen debate on its different provisions, notably with those who express reservations about it.

The Moroccan-US FTA, signed after 7 rounds of negotiations, will immediately eliminate tariffs on more than 95 percent of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products. All remaining tariffs on these goods are to be eliminated within nine years.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/economy/soc-Chad.htm 
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Morocco's citrus fruits exports rise by 19% until Dec.21
RABAT, Dec.28

Morocco's exports of citrus fruits reached, as at December 21, 165,900 tons, posting a 19% rise compared to a volume of 139,100 tons in the same period of last year. Some 93% of these exports are made of clementines, and 60% of them are provided by the southwestern Atlantic region of Souss-Massa, says the Moroccan agriculture, rural development and sea fisheries ministry. Meanwhile, overall exports of early fruits and vegetables declined by 4% from 116,000 tons to 111,000 tons. Tomato exports also regressed by 11% to stand at 69,000 tons this year while exports of other fruits and vegetables fared well with an increase of 10%.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm 
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US academic highlights importance of Moroccan reforms.
WASHINGTON, Dec.28 (MAP)

William Zartman, Professor of International Organizations and Conflict Resolution at the Johns Hopkins university highlighted that the reform course that HM King Mohammed VI and the Moroccan government are taking is in conformity with Morocco's own history, culture and society. "It is aggressive and impressive", writes the academic in an editorial published in the "Washington Times" stressing that Morocco "showed that itswill to seed and nurture reform is homegrown, not imposed by others."

Zartman cites, in this context, the Justice and Reconciliation Commission, set up last January to pursue out-of-court settlement of past human rightsviolations (between 1956 and 1999). "The commission, he writes, is taking a hard look at the human rights abuses committed by past Moroccan governments, giving victims of abuse access to government files and providing reparations." Victims and families started to give their accounts on the ordeals they experienced in public hearings aired live on TV and radio.

He also described the new family code as "a significant overhaul of the nation's Family Law", that "dramatically increased women's rights, allowing women to seek divorce, retain child custody and keep property after a divorce." Morocco is also opening its economy, as part of the challenge contained in the recently signed free trade agreement with its long-standing partner, the United States.

Other major reforms listed by the author include "competitive multiparty parliamentary elections deemed free and fair by the U.S. government and the National Democratic Institute (NDI)," and revising the labor law as well as "measures to prevent radical Islam within its national practice of the Muslim religion."

Of the Forum for the future, hosted by Morocco on Dec.11, the columnist argues that "there was significant and open discussion about economic and social reform at the forum, and the event took place in an Arab country - with nearly all of the Arab world and the nations of the G-8 present."

"Dialogue among these nations about reform is practical, helpful and necessary. At the forum, economic and social issues such as microfinance and literacy were addressed. The leaders present listened to and learned from each other, candidly assessed the unique details of their comparable situations and analyzed the resources needed to change. The results from the participants are clear: Reform is needed, the G-8 states have their role to play, but each Middle East and North African country needs to bring about its own reforms generated from within."

Zartman also argues that "history demonstrates that real, sustainable change cannot be imposed externally, but that outside influences can help", singling out the case of Morocco where reforms began "well before President Bush launched the BMENA (broad middle east and north Africa) initiative,clearly showing that its will to seed and nurture reform is homegrown, not imposed by others.

The author, acknowledging that the road to reforms is long, and objections to U.S. policy are not reasons for Arab countries to get distracted from domestic reform, calls the United States to "enable and match local progress by bearing its own responsibilities for constructive engagement in the region, supporting economic and political modernization and actively contributing to the resolution of conflicts that distract from that reform."

For Zartman who also chairs the Conflict Management Program at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at the Johns Hopkins University, "there must be a realization that the responsibility for reform does not lie outside the region." He appeals to Washington to promote dialogue, broker reconciliation, and provide resources to make change possible.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm 
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Government passes draft law criminalizing torture.
Politics, 12/29/2004

The Moroccan Government on Tuesday approved a draft law criminalizing torture, during a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Driss Jettou. The draft law submitted by the Minister of Justice aims at criminalizing torture and proposes a comprehensive definition of this crime in accordance with International Convention Against torture, said Communication Minister and Government Spokesman Nabil Benabdallah.

The draft law which was announced months ago was welcomed by Moroccan and foreign human rights organizations including the US-based Human Rights Watch which praised, in its latest report published in October, Morocco's "impressive strides in human rights over the last fifteen years."

"They (the government) stated their intent to introduce a draft law criminalizing torture and to withdraw formal reservations they made when ratifying several international treaties on human rights. They vowed to carry out investigations when international or domestic human rights organizations present evidence of torture," the report stated on the topic of torture.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/041229/2004122919.html 
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Morocco`s tallest man is 2.32 metres.
Rabat, Morocco, 12/28

Morocco`s tallest man, Brahim Takyallah, a native of the southern town of Guelmim, stands at 2.32 metres, the local paper, Assabah, has reported. Born in 1982, the young man began experiencing extraordinary growth from the age of 13, the paper said. Reared by his grandmother and his maternal uncle, Takyallah seldom went out to avoid onlookers` mocking and pitying eyes, the paper added. The man, who is preparing a BA degree in geography this year, has not attended classes during his whole university education. He studies at home due to transport problems going to a far away university, the paper said. Takyallajh would like to have surgery abroad to stop his abnormal growth, he told Assabah.
http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=307736 
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Smallest firms dominate job creation in Morocco.
RABAT, Dec 29 (Reuters)

The liberalisation of the Moroccan economy launched about 10 years ago has helped create more jobs but essentially in small firms with fewer than three employees, the results of a study showed on Wednesday. The North African country recorded 750,916 firms employing some 2.24 million people, according to data from the latest 10-yearly economic census led by the Planning High Commission. Nearly two-thirds of those companies, and 55.5 percent of the total jobs were created between 1993-2002. The Moroccan state started to relinquish control over the economy in 1993, mainly through privatisation of state-owned firms in sectors such as banks, manufacturing and agriculture. However, job losses accompanying the privatisation process were not detailed in the report based on the results of 2001-2002 census. While they provided 64.7 percent of total jobs, 97.7 percent of firms had fewer than 10 employees each. Those with more than 50 employees represented only 0.4 percent of the total but they accounted for 23.7 percent of the 2.24 million jobs figure. Urban areas, particularly in the business hub of Casablanca, benefited more than rural areas, where 45 percent of Morocco's 30 million people live. The industrial sector provided 36.7 percent of total jobs, followed by the commercial sector with 34 percent, services with 26.9 percent and construction and public works with 2.4 percent. Liberalisation means little without strong economic growth, economists say. In Morocco's case, the economy has grown by less than 4 percent a year on average over the past decade due mainly to its reliance on agriculture and the vagaries of the weather. The lack of a high-added value industrial sector hampers the creation of medium and large firms. "Small capital drives the entrepreneurial effort in Morocco but with modest means," said an economist, who asked not to be named. In the meantime, Moroccan banks have chronic over-liquidity, with surpluses equalling nearly a quarter of the country's gross domestic product, estimated at some $50 billion. The unemployment rate stands at 10.9 percent of the country's 11-million workforce, according to official figures.
((Reporting by Souhail Karam, Editing by Stephen Nisbet; Reuters Messaging: souhail.karam.reuters.com@reuters.net; +212-37 720065)) Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited. http://www.borsaitalia.it/fwa-cgi-bin/news.pl?id=1104346104nL29716102&tit=Smallest%20firms%20dominate%20job%20creation%20in%20Morocco&type=indicator&ling=IT 
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Local teacher visits Morocco.
By Lynn Atkins Staff Writer lynna@nwanews.com  Wednesday, December 29, 2004 ROGERS

With a 7-yearold at home, Kelli Doss knew she couldn't leave for a yearlong exchange with a foreign teacher, so she jumped at the chance to participate in a shorter-term Fulbright program. When she applied for the program, she wasn't sure she had a chance, but last fall she found herself in Morocco. Morocco is a Frenchspeaking country, and Doss teaches French at the Rogers High School Sophomore Campus. She spent four weeks with a high school English teacher in a small town in Morocco, functioning as a resource in his classroom and listening in on French literature classes. Many people living in Morocco are actually trilingual, she said. In fact, their French skills are being replaced by English to the dismay of the older generation. Yet, to her American ears, the French skills sounded very good. It surprised Doss to discover that high school lasts only four hours a day in Morocco. But that gave her time to do some sightseeing. She spent her weekends traveling to other towns in the region. 

In the spring, her host teacher will come to Rogers and spend several weeks in her classroom, although she expects to lend him out to other teachers and even other schools as well. She expects him to be popular with social studies classes, as well as French classes because few people have visitors from Morocco. "I've been to France and I can tell the kids about it, but I had never been to Africa," she said about the experience that she has already been sharing in her classrooms. It was a memorable French teacher who sparked Doss' interest in the language back when she was a sophomore in high school. "She always seemed to be having so much fun," Doss recalled. A native of Fort Smith, she went to Arkansas State University and earned a degree in French. She never considered a different career. Doss loves to travel and sometimes travels with her students to Europe. However, the Morocco trip was enough for this year, she said. But she didn't rule out another exchange sometime in the future.
http://www.nwanews.com/story.php?paper=bcdr&section=News&storyid=15709 
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Tourism Sector in Morocco Enjoys Healthy Recovery in 2004.
December 30, 2004

Morocco's tourism sector posted a welcome recovery in 2004, with 5.12m tourists visiting the country during the first 11 months of the year, marking a 17% year-on-year rise. Slightly more than half of the tourists were Moroccan expatriates vacationing in the country, while French visitors represent the second-largest group (1.08m). Meanwhile, the number of nights spent in Moroccan hotels surged by 18% to 12.25m, although the increase in tourism revenues was weaker (7.9% year-on-year, in the first 10 months of 2004), as travel agencies offered discounts to lure back tourists. Significance: Efforts to attract an ever larger number of tourists to
Morocco seem to be paying off, with more than 5m tourists visiting the country in the first 11 months of 2004. The government has targeted an annual total of 10m tourists by 2010, and has pledged to offer additional incentives for investment in the tourism sector, including long-term financing for hotel construction, tax exemptions and the revamping of local taxation. Moreover, the government vowed to invest Dh45bn (US$5.49bn) in new resorts, designed to increase Morocco's overall bed capacity. The government has also engaged in financing tourist infrastructure, as well as initiating the liberalisation of the airline industry and increasing the budget allocation for the promotion of tourism, in a bid to bolster the development of the sector. As the Moroccan government and international community make headway in fighting terrorism, we believe the tourism industry will develop considerably over the medium term.
http://www6.lexisnexis.com/publisher/EndUser?Action=UserDisplayFullDocument&orgId=616&topicId=12552&docId=l:248610430&start=12 
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Sit-in calls on Parliament not to pass Morocco-USA FTA
RABAT, Dec.29

A sit-in was staged Wednesday evening outside the Parliament in Rabat by activists opposed to the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) signed last June between Morocco and the United States. Some 100 Participants in this sit-in urged the parliament not to pass this accord "in its current form." Abdelhamid Amin, chairman of the "National Coalition Against the Free trade Accord with the United States" criticized the content of the agreement which he deemed "negative". "This agreement was concluded between Morocco which has a fragile economy, and the United States, the first superpower in the world", Amin told MAP adding the FTA will have a negative impact on Morocco in the social, economic and cultural realms.

More sit-ins are to be staged by the coalition to protest this agreement despite the awareness and information campaigns launched by the Government to defend the accord, as did Communication Minister and Government's spokesman Nabil Abdallah who emphasized that Rabat did its best to defend the country's interests during negotiations on this agreement.

Asked about sit-ins to be staged by those who oppose the Morocco-US FTA, Benabdellah said the government is open to all parties, particularly "those expressing some reservations concerning the accord." The government, he said, has presented all guarantees through meetings broadcast on Radio and TV and direct encounters with the concerned parties, proving that the agreement represents no threat to the economic, cultural and social realms. He recalled that the accord will be submitted to parliament which, he said, would provide the opportunity to deepen debate on its different provisions, notably with those who express reservations about it.

The Moroccan-US FTA, signed after 7 rounds of negotiations, will immediately eliminate tariffs on more than 95 percent of bilateral trade in consumer and industrial products. All remaining tariffs on these goods are to be eliminated within nine years.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/general/wcupzi.htm 
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More than 750,000 economic entities exist in Morocco.

The High Commission of Planning announced Wednesday, Dec. 29 in a communiqué that the number of economic entities in Morocco amounts to 750,916. 83.8% of them is located in urban areas and employ 2,239,292 persons, or an average of 2.98 employees each. The distribution shows that 61.2% of the total employees are subordinates, while 30% are managers. Casablanca and its region rank first with 17.1% of total entities employing 29.5% of the national workforce; the Souss-Massa-Draa region ranks second with 10.5% and 8.3%; and Rabat-Salé-Zemmour-Zaer region is third with 9.3% and 9.8%.

There are 54.9% commerce entities employing 34% of the total workforce; 23.4% are concentrated in the services sector and employ 26.9%; while 20.5% are positioned in industry and employ 36.7%. The study emphasizes the fact that 97.7% of the economic entities are very small firms which employ less than 10 persons. They provide 64.7% of the total national workforce
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=2160 
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African Food Industry: Four Moroccan companies among Africa's most competitive ones.

Four Moroccan companies, were classified among the 25 most competitive companies in the African food industry by the French language magazine "Jeune Afrique / l'Intelligent". "Régie des Tabacs", which belongs to Altadis since 2003, came sixth on the continental scale and at the top of Moroccan companies, while "Lesieur Maroc" was classified number 16 among its African counterparts, despite loosing its monopoly on the Moroccan oilseed grinding market.

In the meantime, Centrale laitière, which still dominates 60% of the Moroccan dairy market, was classified in the 18th position. It was followed by COSUMAR (Compagnie Sucrière Marocaine de Raffinage) which managed to secure the 19th place, despite sharing the sugar refining market with four public companies.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=2201 
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Family Code: Top Moroccan Reform of 2004.
By Karima Rhanem 28/12/2004

The Moroccan Family Code is considered the top reform of 2004, and a model in the Arab and Islamic world. The House of Advisors unanimously adopted the new Family Code on January 23, 2004, after it had been adopted by the House of Representatives The family law reforms, in harmony with the teachings of Islam, were seen as "revolutionary" and were largely welcomed in Morocco and worldwide.

These reforms appeared in most national and international newspapers and news websites with headlines such as: "Morocco reform plan welcomed", "Moroccan King plans women's rights reform", "Family law change to end polygamy in Morocco", "A King's Appeal", "Moroccan women win more rights", "Morocco's Family Code reform to mark a revolution", and "Morocco could become women's rights model among Muslim countries".

Specialized jurisdictions have been set up in Moroccan courts to implement the new Code.

Justice Minister, Mohamed Bouzoubaa, said that "the government is keen to meet all the necessary conditions for a successful implementation of theFamily Code, and make sure the law meets the aspirations of all Moroccans."

He added that "the implementation of the reforms depends on the creation of fair, modern and efficient jurisdictions for the family and the training of qualified people."

Background on Family Code (Mudawana)
After years of discussion and controversy within the Moroccan society over the amendments that should be introduced in the Mudawana ratified in 1957, King Mohammed VI announced on October 10, 2003, on the occasion of the opening of parliament's fall session, reforms on issues related to marriage, divorce, custody, and inheritance. This new Family Code was unanimously adopted by the House of Advisors on January 23, 2004.

The previous Family Code stipulated that the family was under the control of the husband, and that the wife's main marital duty was to obey her husband in all matters. The Mudawana, based on Islamic Sharia law, and ratified soon after independence in 1956 was widely abused in Morocco where illiteracy among women reaches more than 65 %, especially in rural areas. Thousands of divorced women are living in tragic conditions without any guarantees to ensure their rights and those of their children.

In the late 1990s, there was a heated debate over improving women's rights in Morocco and revising the Mudawana. In March 1999, former State Secretary for Family Affairs, Saïd Saidi, introduced a bill known as the "National Action Plan for Integrating Women in Development." This bill aimed at asserting some basic rights for women against discrimination and abuse.

The plan, especially the section on reforming the Mudawana, faced fierce opposition from conservative and Islamist groups. This led to a massive protest rally in Casablanca, in March 2000 against any change in the Mudawana.

Modernists seeking change marched in fewer numbers, the same day, to express their support for the plan. In May 2000, and in response to the intense public debate on women's rights, the ex-Prime Minister Youssoufi appointed a committee of twenty religious scholars, sociologists, judges, and one women's rights activist, to look into the controversial aspects of the plan, and make their recommendations to the King.

This committee failed to address these issues and the plan was put on hold. Given widespread recognition of the need to improve women's rights as part of developing Morocco's overall human rights record, and to ensure that women enjoy a better, more equitable status, King Mohammed VI stepped in, setting up a Royal Commission, made up of Islamic scholars and women's representatives. It was meant to report in 2002, but the controversial and sensitive nature of the subject made it difficult to reach an agreement.

By announcing reforms of the Mudawana to parliament on October 10, 2003, the monarch said he wanted to prevent society from splitting apart over this issue. As Commander of the Faithful (Amir Al Muminin), His Majesty stated that the aim of these reforms was to draw up a modern family law consistent with the spirit of Islam. "I cannot make licit what God has forbidden, nor forbid what he has made lawful," he said.

The new reform, proposed by the Royal Commission, would place families under the joint responsibility of both spouses. The family law would not be considered as legislation devised for women only, but rather as a code for the family: father, mother, and children. The proposed legislation was meant to free women from the injustices they endure, in addition to protecting children's rights and safeguarding men's dignity. Women have the right to ask for divorce, and the legal age of marriage for girls would be raised from 15 to 18; polygamy will not be outlawed but will be practically impossible; and custody of children in the case of separation is given as a priority to the mother.

To ensure optimal conditions for the enforcement of the new family law, His Majesty addressed a message to the Minister of Justice, in which he explained that no matter what reforms had been proposed, their implementation would hinge on the setting up of a just, modern and effective family judicial system. In addition to the rapid establishment of a family mutual assistance fund, the King has ordered the Minister of Justice to set up suitable facilities for the administration of family justice in all courts of the Kingdom, and ensure that staff are trained, at all levels, and qualified to shoulder their future responsibilities. Efforts must also be made to reach deadlines laid down in the current civil procedure act to expedite family matters.

A parliamentary commission debated the new code for one month, studying 110 amendments before submitting it to the House's vote. Eventually, the House of Advisors unanimously adopted the new Family Code on January 23, 2004, after it had been adopted by the House of Representatives
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=131&id=2100 
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2004 Major social events.
2004 was a year rich in events on the social level, both inside and outside Morocco. Overview of the most striking ones...

Family Code: the top reform
The Moroccan Family Code is considered the top reform of 2004, and a model in the Arab and Islamic world. The House of Advisors unanimously adopted the new Family Code on January 23, 2004, after it had been adopted by the House of Representatives The family law reforms, in harmony with the teachings of Islam, were seen as "revolutionary" and were largely welcomed in Morocco and worldwide.

These reforms appeared in most national and international newspapers and news websites with headlines such as: "Morocco reform plan welcomed", "Moroccan King plans women's rights reform", "Family law change to end polygamy in Morocco", "A King's Appeal", "Moroccan women win more rights", "Morocco's Family Code reform to mark a revolution", and "Morocco could become women's rights model among Muslim countries" Specialized jurisdictions have been set up in Moroccan courts to implement the new Code.

Justice Minister, Mohamed Bouzoubaa, said that "the government is keen to meet all the necessary conditions for a successful implementation of the Family Code, and make sure the law meets the aspirations of all Moroccans." He added that "the implementation of the reforms depends on the creation of fair, modern and efficient jurisdictions for the family and the training of qualified people."

Decent housing
Over the last few years, and especially since the May 16 attacks, theMoroccan government has been working at improving housing conditions for the poorest sections of the population. In addition to improving already existing areas by adding equipment to respect international hygienic norms, the government also re-housed families. However, the gap between house building and the growing needs is still far from closed: according to Abdelaziz Filali, head of the National Agency for the Fight Against Unhygienic Housing (ANHI), 125,000 dwellings are needed every year, while only 90,000 are being built. Because of this situation, 40,000 people are reduced to living in dwellings that do not follow national norms. Over four million Moroccans are living in unhygienic conditions.

A new labour law
After years of discussion, the new labour bill was finally voted in 2004. The new law contains clauses concerning labour contracts and lay-offs. It reinforces workers' rights to negotiation and raised the minimal working age from 12 years to 15. The minimal wage was raised by 10%, the protection of women in the work environment was reinforced, and working time was reduced from 48 hours a week to 44. Children's begging Fighting against the exploitation of children. The Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity, Abderrahim Harrouchi, announced in November 2004 his department allocated MAD 20 million to the fight against the exploitation of children for begging. The project, which is to be applied on a national level, was tested in Casablanca in December 2004 It is based mainly on the integration of children both within families and in schools and the implication of local NGOs in increasing awareness of the dangers of this phenomenon.

The Ministry also announced it would launch 1,816 "proximity projects" in 2005, for a total cost of MAD 320 million. These actions will be aimed at setting up infrastructures, social services, income producing activities as well as helping the social integration of people in difficulty.

Holidays for everyone.
150, 000 children were expected to benefit from the 2004 version of "Holidays for Everyone", a programme launched by Secretary of State to the Prime Minister in Charge of Youth, Mohamed El Gahs. The programme, which cost MAD 55,587,000, gradually extended the number of infrastructures available for children, made it possible to increase the number of beneficiaries from 49,000 in 2002 to 100,000 last year.

"These holiday camps have a strong civic impact, they teach children how to live within a community. In a holiday camp, young people understand that they belong to a nation, that there are common values, that they have a common destiny, culture, history and future. I think this is a fundamental apprenticeship of what makes up a nation, in other words, the respect of the elementary common rules for living together", he said in an interview to the Moroccan weekly « La vie Eco ».

In addition to repairing 80% of disaffected places reserved to youth, the Secretary adopted strategies aimed at encouraging other educative, artistic and cultural activities such as the creation of theatre clubs, the national theatre festival, reading activities, etc.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=131&id=2128 
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