Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web  
Morocco Week in Review  
July 23 2005

Youth & Education: 400 to benefit from English courses.
Health : Child mortality increases to 40%.
American wheelchairs to needy handicapped in Casablanca.
Moroccan-US FTA to be enforced in January 2006, PM.
Moroccan expert joins SIDACTION. 
Exhibition to Display Products Made by Women From Moroccan Rural
Morocco to Benefit From International Childhood Cancer Campaign.
Women: Morocco to get female caïds by 2007.
First Morocco scorpion sting victim of this summer.
Fire kills six campers in Morocco
Education : 5.9 million students to start classes in September.
Archaeology New fossil giant reptile species discovered in Moroccan Phosphates fields.
Moroccan domestic trade creates 1.2 million job opportunities in 2004.
British embassy in Rabat to help young entreprise chiefs.
Growth rate expected at 1.8% in 2005.
Around Euros 2 billion earmarked for ONEP 2005-2008 program.
Morocco-Germany : 98.5 million Euro financial cooperation agreement.
Civil society: Marrakech association receives MAD 300,000 cheque.
Education: A-level results improve over last year's.
Education: Reforms improved educational system.
Justice 542 granted Moroccan nationality since 2003.
Human rights council examines elaboration of 'citizenship charter'.

Youth & Education: 400 to benefit from English courses.

About 400 young Moroccans aged between 13 and 16 are scheduled to benefit from English classes in Taghazout near Agadir this summer, announced Tuesday a communiqué from the State Secretariat in charge of Youth.
Beneficiaries of the courses are to be divided into four groups of 100 each.
Each group is scheduled to stay for 15 days and participate in intensive English classes as well as a number of cultural, educational, and artistic activities, all of them in English. Parents of the first group of participants who benefited from classes from Jul. 3-17 expressed their satisfaction at the programme, wishing it to be extended to other languages such as French or Spanish.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=8299 
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Health : Child mortality increases to 40%.
Morocco lost ground in the battle against child mortality with mortality rates increasing from 36.6? in 1997 to 40? in 2004, reported the French language daily L'économiste. According to the newspaper, despite a decrease in the fertility rate from 3.1 in 1997 to 2.5 in 2004, mortality in children under five increased from 36.6? to 40?. As for the infant mortality rate, it increased from 45.8? in 1997 to 47? in 2004.

This disastrous increase is mainly linked to a reduction in awareness raising campaigns on TV and radio, previously funded by UNICEF. It is also linked to a lack of human resources, especially in rural areas, and the insufficient budget allocated to health. Other figures show that the number of women losing their lives when giving birth went through a slow decrease, with 332 deaths out of 100,000 in 1992 against 227 in 2003.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=8132 
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American wheelchairs to needy handicapped in Casablanca.
Casablanca, July 19

Out of a batch of 280 wheelchairs, 40 were delivered, Saturday, to disabled people at a ceremony that took place in the Nour Rehabilitation center in Bouskoura, close to Casablanca.  The donation was made by the American Humanitarian Organization "Wheelchair Foundation", US Rotary clubs and the Moroccan Association for Handicapped (French acronym AMH). The ceremony was attended by American ambassador to Morocco, Thomas Riley, President of "Wheelchair Foundation", Kenneth Behring, and members of "Rotary International".

This charity action is the second after the first that took place in September 2004 when 280 wheelchairs were distributed to needy disabled. The third operation, which is to be funded by the Wheelchair Foundation and the Moroccan and American Rotary clubs, will be the largest with some 1,400 wheelchairs to be delivered.

During the ceremony, Riley underlined that a total of 2,000 wheelchairs will be granted to recipients from all over Morocco to help them become active producers in their communities. The wheelchair foundation is a non-profit organization, which has been offering, since its foundation in June 2000, wheelchairs to handicapped children all over the world. The foundation aims also at promoting awareness among the international public opinion of the physically handicapped needs. Behring, for his part, promised that the foundation would try, in the next five years, to do its best to deliver one million wheelchairs for the needy.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/american_wheelchairs/view 
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Moroccan-US FTA to be enforced in January 2006, PM.
Rabat, July 22 - The enforcement of the Moroccan-American Free Trade Agreement is due in January 2006, said Moroccan premier, Driss Jettou at a press briefing held after a meeting he had, here on Thursday, with visiting Acting Deputy Secretary of the US Commerce Department, David Sampson.

Jettou said Moroccan-American relations are excellent and stressed the will of the two countries to further enhance them. He said his talks with Sampson revolved around issues relating to the "Millennium challenge account", which is an opportunity for Morocco to present integrated programs to be made public in August and September.
Sampson said the United States will act with Morocco to implement the provisions of the FTA and advance MCA issues. The American official, who arrived here on Wednesday, visited the royal Center for Remote Sensing and the El Jadida-based Jorf Lasfar power plant. He also held talks with several Moroccan officials and businessmen. The FTA accord, signed on June 15, 2004, eliminates tariffs on 95 percent of all bilateral trade between the United States and Morocco, and includes stringent protections for intellectual property and the environment. 

Morocco signed the FTA with the USA after seven rounds of bilateral negotiations that had lasted 13 months, and was meant to eliminate most of the tariffs on mutual trade in consumer and industrial products. The remaining tariffs on these goods are mainly agricultural products from both nations, which will be eliminated within the next nine years. The Jorf Lasfar site is 130km south west of Casablanca on the Atlantic coast in the El Jadida province. The coal-based power plant satisfies approximately 65% of Morocco's base-load electricity demand and provides one-third of the country's total electricity supply.
The American CMS energy and the Swiss ABB invested a total of $585 million to build the power plant, while a consortium of governmental, multilateral and private financial institutions provided the balance of $920 million. The USA-based Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) issued a commercial guarantee for the project valued at $210 million.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_economy/moroccan-us_fta_to_b/view 
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Moroccan expert joins SIDACTION. 
21-07-2005 

Professor Hakima Himmich was recently appointed to the board of directors of the French NGO Together Against AIDS/AIDS-ACTION (SIDACTION). In an official statement released by the French organization on Tuesday it was indicated that the arrival of professor Himmich, who chairs the Moroccan Association for the fight against AIDS (ALCS), aims at reinforcing the international expertise of the NGO. EMarrakech reports that professor Himmich also has a solid base of experience with AIDS, based on its post as the director of the services for infectious diseases at the University Hospital Complex (CHU) in Casablanca.
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/186645 
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Exhibition to Display Products Made by Women From Moroccan Rural Areas.
22/07/2005

The 21 July edition of Al-Ahdath newspaper reported the Moroccan Commission in Charge of Rural Development organized the first exhibition to display products manufactured by women from rural areas. The event took place in Al-Arayesh 21-22 July. The commission organized the fair in association with the Mohammed V Corporation for Solidarity and the Municipality of Arayesh.
The goal of the fair was to promote women's development in Moroccan villages. Handicraft products, agricultural products, textile products, and traditional products were among the items presented.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/homepage/ 
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Morocco to Benefit From International Childhood Cancer Campaign.
22/07/2005 

Morocco is one of the ten pilot countries the International Union Against Cancer chose for campaigns aimed at improving the conditions of children with cancer. The specific projects will be awarded up to 50,000 euros and be selected based on feasibility, benefits provided for the children and their families and responsible management. The other countries included in the initiative are Bangladesh, Egypt, Honduras, the Philippines, Senegal, Tanzania, Ukraine, Venezuela, and Vietnam. (L'Economiste) 
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/homepage/ 
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Women: Morocco to get female caïds by 2007.

"Following a High Royal decision, the access to the authority agent training course will be open to female candidates starting from next year," announced Mustapha Sahel on Jul. 15 at the diploma ceremony of the Kenitra Ecole de Perfectionnement des Cadres (School specialized in the training of executives for the Ministry of Interior).

"We are not worried that women might be rejected. The police introduced women among their members before us, and it worked. The female agents will probably be assigned to municipalities and administrations for a while before being moved to other sections," said Commandant Chaouki who works at the school, adding that "people need a little time to get accustomed to having women in such a position of power, but they will eventually do."
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=11&id=8213 
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First Morocco scorpion sting victim of this summer.
17-07-2005

Five year old Radwan Bnu Dhahiba died in Mohammad Al Khamis Hospital in al-Jadida region as a result of a scorpion sting, being the first victim of scorpions this summer in Morocco, reported the July 13 edition of Moroccan newspaper al-Sabah. The boy was hitt while he was going with his mother to a nearby well and died in the hospital due to the lack of the required medicine.
According to the newspaper, the kid's death exposed the false nature of the recent declaration by a representative of the health ministry on May 24, saying that the ministry will implement a program to fight against scorpion stings through allocating three vehicles equipped with the necessary medical needs for providing treatment in urgent cases, in addition to 11 ambulances owned by rural associations. It should be mentioned that the dangerous black scorpions are common in Al-Jadida region. Last summer, 800 people were hit by scorpions, 28 of them died.
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/186364 
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Fire kills six campers in Morocco

Six girls died and two others were injured on Saturday before dawn, in a fire that broke in a summer camp in Ras El Maa, close to the town of Ifrane, some 220 kilometers east of Rabat. A communiqué of the Rabat-based "Hassania Yacoub El Mansour" association, which organized the camp, said the fire broke out at 02:00 am at a tent when all the campers were sleeping, MAP reported. The two injured girls were moved to the Moulay Ismail Hospital of Mekes, some 100 kilometers from Ifrane. All the victims were aged 9 to 13. A source in the camp said a burning candle could have caused the fire. Secretary of state in charge of the youth announced later the opening of an investigation to identify the causes of the fire, according to a communiqué sent to the <i>Moroccan news agency.
http://www.albawaba.com/en/countries/Morocco/186381 
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Education : 5.9 million students to start classes in September.

Archaeology New fossil giant reptile species discovered in Moroccan Phosphates fields.

New fossil vertebrate species were discovered in Moroccan phosphates fields as part of research by scientists of the French National Museum of Natural History (MNHN), National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and of the Universities of Montpellier and Bilbao.
In this respect, on Wednesday, Morocco and France signed in Paris, a cooperation convention on research on fossil vertebrate palaeontology in Moroccan phosphates fields. The research revealed species of giant reptiles and crocodiles, prompting the MNHN to further develop Moroccan-French collaboration in the field, notably with the universities of El Jadida and Marrakech, and with the Khouribga museum of the Moroccan Phosphates Company (OCP).

The new research convention was signed by MNHN Director General, Bertrand-Pierre Galey and OCP Director General, Mourad Charif, as well as by representatives of the Moroccan mining ministry and presidents of El Jadida and Marrakech Universities. A document made available to the press, said the Moroccan phosphates fields (Oulad Abdoun and Gamtour) contain a wealth of sea fossil vertebrates going back to the end of the Cretaceous and early Tertiary period.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=8121 
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Moroccan domestic trade creates 1.2 million job opportunities in 2004.
Rabat, July 21

Moroccan domestic trade has created 1.2 million job opportunities and generated some MAD 22 bln (nearly US$ 2.5 bln) of added value, i.e 13.25% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2004, said, here Thursday, Moroccan Minister of Industry, Trade and Economy Upgrading, Salaheddine Mezouar. In an interview with the daily "Assahra Al-Maghribia", Mezouar noted that 2004 was marked by the creation of 29,583 new companies. He ascribed the improvement of Moroccan trade competitiveness to the measures taken to simplify financing procedures, improve the trade competitiveness and adopt an accountability system.

He said that Moroccan economy faces several problems notably the market openness, domestic competitiveness needs, the fiscal and judicial frame and mainly the peddling, which constitutes an unfair competitiveness to the formal sector. He said his department has undertaken a series of measures to fight peddling, notably through a model operation that was launched in Fez (Central Morocco) to create two trade centers for peddlers. As for consumers' protection, Mezouar underlined that his department has started the second phase of a project aiming to reinforce the role of consumers' protection associations, noting that sensitization campaigns will be organized for consumers.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/moroccan_domestic_tr/view 
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British embassy in Rabat to help young entreprise chiefs.
Casablanca, July 16

The Center of Entreprises Young leaders (CJD) and the British embassy in Rabat signed here on Friday a partnership convention destined to help young entrepreneurs create and boost their companies, the drive being financed by the embassy with MAD 4.8 million, around 450,000 euros. The convention was signed by visiting British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Minister in charge of the Middle East, Kim Howells and Moroccan industry and trade minister, Salaheddine Mezouar. The three-year convention provides for assistance to young entrepreneurs to start their companies and is aimed at consolidating British-Moroccan partnership and cooperation and enhance economic relations, at large.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/british_embassy_in_r/view 
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Growth rate expected at 1.8% in 2005.
Rabat, July 15 

Moroccan economy is expected to post a growth rate of 1.8% in 2005, said, here Thursday, Communication Minister and Government Spokesman, Nabil Benabdallah. Speaking at a press briefing following the weekly Cabinet meeting, he noted that the potential growth rate declined (initially expected at 3%) due to a 12% decrease in the primary sector as a result of the agricultural production drop. He noted that the first quarter of 2005 has recorded positive results despite the increase of oil prices and the high cost of the voluntary departure operation of civil servants. Benabdallah said the government expects the Moroccan economy to post a GDP growth rate of 5.4% in 2006, while maintaining the deficit at 2%.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/growth_rate_expected/view 
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Around Euros 2 billion earmarked for ONEP 2005-2008 program.
Rabat, July 20 

The Moroccan drinking water utility ONEP is investing MAD 20.4 billion, around Euros 2 billion, part of its 2005-2008 program, to, inter alia, supply water to 4.2 million additional people in rural areas. The ONEP-Moroccan state contract-program, presented here on Tuesday to the utility governing board, is also to upgrade drinking water supply flow to 6,000 litres per second, provide water for 193 localities and ensure water purification in 108 villages. The "Office National de l'Eau Potable" governing board met to review the utility's achievements in 2004 and set the 2005 budget.

The office netted a MAD 130.1 million profit in 2004, recording a rise of 2.6% to 2003 and a 60% progression of the water access rate for the populations in rural zones. The added value increased 5.8% compared to the previous year in spite of the lack of price alignment. The ONEP governing board pledged to curb the deficit of the office in used water purification, which amounts to 5% only of liquid waste. The office plans to treat liquid waste in 100 priority towns by 2007. The program in this respect started in
2002 helped process used water in 22 towns. 

The office water supply in rural areas, which was 14% in 1995, is expected to cover 70% by the end of 2005 with the objective of 90% by 2007, according to the office schedule. Moroccan water and environment minister, Mohamed El Yazghi, also president of ONEP governing board, told the Moroccan News Agency, the office performance "is very encouraging", for it went beyond the goals set in the government program.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/around_euros_2_billi/view 
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Morocco allocates initial MAD 250 mln to boost NIHD.
Rabat, July 18 

The Moroccan government has allocated an initial MAD 250 mln (MAD 1= US$ 9) to boost the National Initiative for Human Development (NIHD), an initiative announced last May targeting an all-out human development in the country.
Finance and Privatization Minister, Fathallah Oualalou, said here Monday, at the presentation of the NIHD action plan, that MAD 160 million will be allocated to urban and rural programs, while MAD 80 mln will be allocated to programs destined to fight poverty and MAD 10 mln to complementary programs.

The initial MAD 250 mln, destined for the second semester of 2005, consists of a State contribution (MAD 50 mln), local collectivities (MAD 100 mln) and Hassan II Fund (MAD 100 mln). NIHD funding will be secured by the State (MAD
6 bln), local collectivities (MAD 2 bln) and international cooperation (MAD
2 bln). Bilateral funding will be secured through friend countries donations notably the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, France, Belgium and Germany.

As for multilateral funding, the kingdom counts on the World Bank support and loans notably from BIRD, BAD and Arab Funds. Prime Minister, Driss Jettou who presided the meeting, said "the government has made important strides in elaborating an adequate frame to boost the NIHD by adopting several mechanisms that secure permanent resources and simple and flexible procedures allowing for transparency, control and follow-up."

He recalled that HM king Mohammed VI presided on June 27 the signing ceremony of a NIHD funding convention that provides for creating the NIHD Support Fund with a budget envelope of MAD 10 bln for 2006-2010 period.
The large-scale initiative, launched last May 18 by HM King Mohammed VI, is scheduled to start in the second half of 2005 and to be carried out on 5 years.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/morocco_allocates_in/view 
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Morocco-Germany : 98.5 million Euro financial cooperation agreement.

Morocco and Germany have signed here Wednesday 20 a 98.5 million euro financial cooperation agreement to fund several projects, including the wind power park of Tangiers, Northern Morocco.
The agreement also provides assistance for improving the performance of the Moroccan drinking water utility (ONEP III programme), the rural water supply programme (Pager), small towns water treatment and the disposal of special industrial waste, and to the Depollution Fund (Fodep).

The agreement was signed by Moroccan finance minister, Fathallah Oualalou, and the German ambassador to Morocco, Roland Mauch. The 2004-2005 agreement is divided into concession loans (56 million euros), donations (1.5 million
euros) and trade loans (40.5 million euros). Oualalou said past German aid to Morocco helped carry out various projects such as water supply, water processing, rural electrification, agriculture, environment and vocational training.

The Moroccan minister asked the German diplomat to consider the possibility to financially contribute to the Moroccan Initiative for Human Development launched the past May by HM King Mohammed VI. The Initiative is a wide-ranging social and economic program to reduce disparities and to provide basic infrastructure to millions of people from adequate housing, drinking water to health care and education.
http://www.moroccotimes.com/news/article.asp?id=8320 
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Civil society: Marrakech association receives MAD 300,000 cheque.

An anonymous donor granted the association "Enfance Espoir" (Hope for Children) a MAD 300,000 cheque Tuesday Jul. 19 in Marrakech, reported MAP. The gift came from a French tour operator that chose to remain anonymous. The president of the group explained that the gift was part of the concept of "responsible travelling."

Education: A-level results improve over last year's.
A total of 98,720 A-level students out of 221,697 passed the end of year exams, announced the Ministry of Education in a communiqué on Jul. 18. These figures show a slight improvement over last year's when massive failures raised concerns about the quality of Morocco's educational system.

Education: Reforms improved educational system.
The Minister of National Education and Higher Education, Staff Training and Scientific Research, Habib El-Malki, asserted that the reforms of the educational system have contributed to reinforcing solidarity in the past five years, reported MAP.
"Our educational system has become capable of receiving each year thousands of new students from urban and rural areas. There has been an important increase in the number of girls attending schools," El Malki told the first Moroccan channel TVM in its evening edition on Tuesday.

Justice 542 granted Moroccan nationality since 2003.

Human rights council examines elaboration of 'citizenship charter'.
Rabat, July 22

Chairman of the Advisory Council for Human Rights (CCDH), Driss Benzekri, announced that the council is examining the elaboration of a global project on the "citizenship charter". Benzekri said in an interview published Friday in Al Ittihad Al Ichtiraki daily that the charter, to be drawn up on instructions of HM king Mohammed VI, will define basic human rights of citizenship within a democratic society, ethics, and the principles which the State and the society should respect. CCDH will give priority to social, economic and cultural rights, said Benzekri who was appointed this month chairman of the council, adding the council will make proposals aiming to draw up public policies guaranteeing human rights respect. HM King Mohammed VI said recently he expects the Council to efficiently contribute to rooting the concept of responsible citizenship in Morocco, with all that implies in terms of congruency between rights and duties.Created in 1990, the CCDH is the ombudsman of human rights in Morocco.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_social/human_rights_council/view 
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