Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
April 29, 2006

A third of Moroccans suffers from malnutrition.
US State Department report hails reforms in Morocco.
Morocco textile industry adapting to free trade.
Poverty strikes 14.2% of Moroccans, minister.
Morocco in economic reforms to fight poverty.
New cash card launched for Moroccan social security claimants.
Morocco introduces women preachers.
Social Development Agency financed over a thousand projects since 2001.
Gas water-heaters blamed for most asphyxia cases, investigation.
'Symphonie marocaine' to represent Morocco in 2007 Oscars.
King dedicates food control body
New archaeological discoveries in Khemisset province. 
Ahmed Assid optimistic about inclusion of Amazigh in Moroccan Constitution.
Fès Borj Nord arms museum to re-open after revamping.
Moroccan Observatory created to integrate women into political life.

A third of Moroccans suffers from malnutrition.
Rabat, Apr. 28

About one third of Morocco's population suffers from malnutrition, and from deficiency in a number of vitamins and mineral salts. These are the findings of a study carried out by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), an international program aiming at fighting nutritional deficiencies. The statistics were published on Friday during the signing ceremony of partnership conventions on the fortification of foods by vitamins. The costs of healthcare and of low productivity due to micronutrients deficiency represent 5% of Morocco's Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Iron deficiency alone represents a loss of MAD 2Bn (about USD 225Mn) each year, according to the GAIN figures.

Speaking at the signing ceremony of the said conventions concluded between the ministry of health, the national federation of flour mills and the Aicha health and nutrition institute, part of the GAIN program, health minister, Mohamed Biadillah said his department has launched the national program to fight disorders caused by micronutrients deficiencies. The program, he explained, consists mainly in enriching basic foods such as flour, salt, cooking oil, sugar and dairy products, by the addition of vitamins and mineral salts. For his part, State secretary in charge of rural development, Mohamed Mohattane, said 90% of the cooking oils on sale are fortified by A and D vitamins.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box3/a_third_of_moroccans/view 
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US State Department report hails reforms in Morocco.
April 29, 2006 By Andnetwork .com

The US State Department commended the reforms ushered by King Mohammed VI of Morocco describing them as "important."
"Under the leadership of King Mohammed VI, the Moroccan Government implemented important internal reforms to address the socio-economic conditions that create opportunity for extremist recruitment," said the US department in its annual "Country Report on Terrorism 2005." The report, published on Friday, recalled the "National Initiative for Human Development to combat poverty, create jobs, and improve infrastructure."

"This USD 1.2 billion initiative targets Morocco's poorest rural areas and worst urban slums with the goal of eliminating the economic conditions that foster exclusion and despair," noted the report. "Morocco continued implementing reforms to the Ministry of Endowments and Islamic Affairs (MOIA), first announced in 2004, to promote religious moderation and tolerance," adds the document, noting that "the reforms included measures to counter extremist ideology within Koranic schools and mosques, and a one-year training program for incoming male and female imams initiated in April." "The Ministry also launched a radio station whose daily broadcasts cover most of Morocco, and continued development of its TV station and website," it noted.

Recalling the terrorist attacks that targeted Casablanca in 2003, the document pointed out to the "swift and ongoing crackdown of the Salafiya Jihadiya movement" that resulted in the arrest and the sentencing of many extremists under the counter-terrorism law. "Many of these cases are still active in the judicial system, which acquitted at least nine suspects and reduced the prison sentences of at least 30 individuals in 2005," it went on, adding that the judicial police efforts led to the arrest of several members of Salafyia Jihadiya in Mohammedia and Salé (west) and to the dismantling of a 17-member strong terrorist cell having ties with a terrorist group in Iraq. The report on terrorism in the world, that was submitted to congress, describes the situation in countries that face terrorism and the efforts made to counter this phenomenon in the world.
http://www.andnetwork.com/index?service=direct/0/Home/recent.titleStory&sp=l32392 
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Morocco textile industry adapting to free trade.
By Tom Pfeiffer, Sun Apr 23, 2006 RABAT (Reuters)

Morocco hopes to create as many textile industry jobs as it loses over a two-year period, the kingdom's trade minister said, as firms adapt to the fall of world trade barriers by developing new niches and technologies. As cheap Asian manufacturers muscle into its vital European markets, Morocco is trying to nurture industries that have a competitive advantage in being close to Europe and that offer the greatest profit potential.
To try to turn the threat of globalisation into an opportunity, it has sealed free-trade deals with the United States and Turkey and is encouraging inward investment with reforms of the financial sector, labour market and taxation.

"Our aim over two years is that between the creation and disappearance (of textile industry jobs), there is a balance," Trade Minister Salaheddine Mezouar told Reuters in an interview. Textile makers, which account for up to 40 percent of Morocco's exports, are shifting from low-value-added product lines and adding technology so they can process an order and fly the finished clothing to European buyers in a matter of days.

To reduce the country's high transport costs, a massive port expansion in the northern city of Tangier is due for completion in mid-2007. Industrial hubs nearby will support key export sectors including textiles, auto parts and electronics. "With the investment we have put into Tanger-Med, we will multiply port traffic by 15 times, we will be six days from the United States, and we will reduce transport costs by 50 percent," Mezouar said.

The changes should help cut Morocco's reliance on agriculture, which employs more than 40 percent of the workforce and, despite heavy investment in irrigation projects, still suffers from severe droughts. "We have fixed as a goal over 10 years to create something like 500,000 jobs in industry, knowing that the rhythm increases as our projects come to fruition," Mezouar said. He said the aim was for industrial gross domestic product to account for 23 percent of total GDP by 2015, up from 16 percent currently, and for industry to contribute 1.6 percent of GDP growth every year.

Alongside textiles, phosphates and money sent home by its citizens living abroad, Morocco's other key revenue earner is tourism. The government aims to double the number of visitors to the country to 10 million by 2010 and is overseeing the construction of a chain of resorts on the Atlantic and Mediterranean coastlines and urban redevelopments. The plan took a leap forward late last month, when two Dubai property firms agreed to a series of tourism investments worth a combined $9 billion.

Mezouar said the deals were not a one-off event. "Other projects (of a similar size) will follow in the coming months." Mezouar was speaking after officials unveiled a plan for an industrial park near the administrative capital Rabat, bringing together firms and university research bodies to develop and market products using nanotechnology and biotechnology. The project foresees an investment of 1.5 billion dirhams in its first phase, and the creation of up to 20,000 jobs by 2015.
http://za.today.reuters.com/news/newsArticle.aspx?type=businessNews&storyID=2006-04-23T112256Z_01_ALL340898_RTRIDST_0_OZABS-MOROCCO-ECONOMY-20060423.XML 
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Poverty strikes 14.2% of Moroccans, minister.
Rabat, Apr. 25

Social Development, Family and Solidarity Minister, Abderrahim Harouchi, said on Tuesday that the poverty rate in Morocco stands presently at 14.2 per cent of the population. Speaking at a question time at the House of Advisors, the minister said that Morocco is now using an important mechanism to determine the rate of poverty, namely the "collective card for poverty" (la carte collective pour la pauvreté), which also makes it easy to develop poverty-eradication programs, and to determine economic and human development indicators in each rural area. 360 rural communes, he went on, where poverty rate exceeds 30% will benefit from the poverty-eradication program part of the large-scale poverty and exclusion-fighting National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) launched in May 2005. The official also cited the anti-exclusion program, which will benefit 250 city neighborhoods, the program to fight extreme vulnerability, and the horizontal program to finance poverty-eradication projects. He recalled that in 2004 the State earmarked over USD 36Mn to fund some 1,815 projects to the benefit of more than 2,000 associations, adding that his department last year funded 1,370 projects for a sum of nearly USD 25Mn.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_social/poverty_strikes_14.2/view 
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Morocco in economic reforms to fight poverty.
RABAT, April 17

Though steadfast implementation of an ambitious reform program has allowed Morocco to achieve macroeconomic stability with low inflation and comfortable external position, high incidence of poverty and unemployment clearly demonstrate that this is not enough. Significant progress in the areas of price and trade liberalisation, financial sector reform, and privatisation has laid the foundations for robust economic growth, IMF Deputy Managing Director, Agust¡n Carstens told Moroccan authorities in Rabat at the weekend. He predicted that these reforms are bearing fruit: economic activity has become more resilient to the fluctuations of agricultural production, investment and domestic demand are picking up, and productivity is on the rise.

"However, the high incidence of poverty and unemployment clearly demonstrate that this is not enough. I agreed with the authorities that a significant acceleration of growth is required in order to enable a more rapid job creation and improvement in the standard of living," an IMF press statement quoted Carstens as saying at the end of his Moroccan visit. He, therefore, welcomed King Mohammed VI`s decision to put human development issues at the center of the government`s policy agenda, as reflected by the National Human Development Initiative (Initiative Nationale pour le D`velopment Humain), launched in May 2005.

Accelerating growth to levels compatible with poverty reduction and unemployment calls for a multi-pronged strategy, including reduction in the fiscal deficit in order to boost private sector confidence, increase investment, provide fiscal flexibility that allows smoothening of external shocks, fight poverty, and increase productive government expenditures, Carstens suggested. He also cited trade liberalisation as key to achieving Morocco`s growth objective, and pointed out that the recent coming into effect of the free-trade agreement with the United States is an important step in this area.

As "an efficient and healthy financial sector is another important pillar of Morocco`s growth strategy," he commended the authorities for recently strengthening the legal, regulatory and supervisory framework of the financial industry and increased autonomy of the central bank in the conduct of monetary policy and the broadening of its supervisory authority to modernise the financial sector. Carstens held discussions with Prime Minister Driss Jettou, Minister of Finance and Privatisation Fathallah Oualalou, Central Bank Governor, Abdellatif Jouahri, the President of the Finance and Economic Development Commission of Parliament, Mustapha Hanine and representatives from the Moroccan business association. - angop
http://news.africast.com/africastv/article.php?newsID=58428 
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New cash card launched for Moroccan social security claimants.
By Hassan Benmehdi 26/04/2006

As part of the process to simplify access to social security benefits, a new cash card is being distributed up by the department in partnership with Barid Al Maghrib. Barid Al Maghrib and the Moroccan Social Security Department (CNSS) signed an agreement on 20 April that will establish a cash card payment procedure to allow CNSS benefits to be paid to claimants who do not have bank accounts. The new product, which will be launched in June, will allow card holders to access funds through the various services run by the CNSS. The new card, under the Visa label, will also serve as a debit card for withdrawals from all automatic teller machines run by Barid Al Maghrib and banks affiliated with the Centre Monétique Interbancaire and for electronic payment for goods at retail outlets.

Saïd Ahmidouche, director general of the CNSS, said that this partnership will strengthen ties between the two institutions, which are firmly committed to a global modernisation process to benefit their customers and users. Anas Alami, director general of Barid Al Maghrib, expressed hope a similar process can contribute to the successful implementation of compulsory health insurance. Adding that the launch of the card does not contribute to profit-making, he was careful to explain that the project has a social dimension that will benefit most of the Moroccan population now. Alami feels the cards will make the electronic payments available to all Moroccans without any distinction.

Barid Al Maghrib has promised to ensure a 95 per cent availability rate across its automatic teller network. The card will bear the logos of the CNSS and Barid Al Maghrib and be valid for a period of three years at a price of 20 dirhams annually. Owners will thus have easy access to payments made by the CNSS with the simple-to-use card. Created in 1961, the CNSS manages all social security payments for employed individuals. Currently, it covers 163,026 affiliated companies, 1,757,847 contributing workers and 300,501 pensioners. Barid Al Maghrib is a multiple service business with international coverage. Set up in 1998, it provides messaging, postal and financial services.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/04/26/feature-02 
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Morocco introduces women preachers.
Friday 28 April 2006

Morocco has just graduated its first team of women preachers to be deployed as a vanguard in its fight against any slide towards Islamic extremism. "This is a rare experiment in the Muslim world," proudly stated Muhammad Mahfudh, director of the centre attached to the Islamic affairs ministry that trained this first class of 50 women. Ministry spokesman Hamid Rono said it was the "first (of its kind) in the Islamic world".

This pioneer group of Murshidat, or guides, who finished a 12-month course in early April, were trained to "accompany and orient" Muslim faithful, notably in prisons, hospitals and schools, said Mahfudh. They will earn a salary of 5,000 dirhams ($560) a month. Samira Marzouk, in her 30s like most of the others, exclaims how "proud" she is to be part of this first group. She sees their mission as one to "fill in the gaps that prevent a solid framework for religion". "We are going to teach a tolerant Islam by focussing on the underprivileged classes."

They will notably work with women and children in poor ghettoes seen as fertile ground for extremist recruiters. The idea of the Murshidat, spearheaded by King Mohammed VI and the government, took off after Islamic extremist attacks in the Casablanca on May 16, 2003 claimed 45 lives and left dozens of others wounded. The King who had already started reshaping religious structures to rein in any extremist drift in his North African country, which borders Algeria where violence between government forces and armed Islamic extremists has caused more than 150,000 deaths since 1992.

New urgency
But the synchronised suicide bomb attacks that struck Jewish and foreign targets gave new urgency to the initiative. More than 2,000 people were arrested in vast police sweeps after the May bombings as the king pledged that the attacks would be the last to rock Morocco. Investigators concluded that those behind the incident had indeed sought recruits in the teeming slums around Casablanca, the kingdom's biggest city. Marzuk, with a diploma in Arab literature who said she knew the Quran by heart, was quick to specify she was "not going to take the place of an imam". "The imamate in Islam is restricted solely to men who are apt at leading prayers, notably those on Friday," she said.

Tolerant Islam
"The Morshidat will be in charge of leading religious discussions, give lessons in Islam, give moral support to people in difficulty and guide the faithful towards a tolerant Islam," she added. Another graduate, Laila Faris, a lively young woman who holds a degree in Islamic studies, said she saw the Murshidat's role as promoting "the true face of Islam". "We will help attenuate any drift towards Islamic extremism," she said, stressing that "an overall approach is needed to dealing with radical Islam". During the year-long course, the curriculum ranged from Islamic studies to psychology, sociology, computer skills, economy, law and business management.

Sports was the only subject dropped from the women preachers' training because the schedule was just too tight," regretted Mahfudh, who hopes to include it for the second batch of Murshidat trainees, whose applications are now being accepted. For the Islamic affairs minister, Ahmed Taoufiq, the Murshidat will also "instruct women on their basis religious duties". He said religious radicalism was not part of Morocco's culture "but you can never prevent evil one hundred percent".

Divided
Morocco's Islamic fundamentalists are divided over the initiative. For one, Islamist deputy Mustafa Ramid with the Islamist Justice and Development party (PJD), the main opposition group with 43 seats in the 325-member parliament, the Murshidat is a "positive" development. "I see nothing more to say about this initiative because in Islam, men and women are equal," he said, pointing to Egypt which has "eminent women scholars of Islam".

But the head of the youth group in Morocco's most radical Islamic fundamentalist association, Al-Adl Wal-Ihssane (Justice and Welfare), forecast it would have no effect on the ground. "The power behind this initiative is the same as the one that commits acts contrary to Islam, notably degrading moral values," said Hasan Bennajih, whose group is part of an Islamist movement that preaches non-violence and is unrecognized by authorities, but still influential. "This initiative, then, will only have a limited impact on the population," said Hasan Bennajih.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/55410875-6CFA-4E19-9147-BDCB6ED3815A.htm 
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Social Development Agency financed over a thousand projects since 2001.
Rabat, Apr. 25

Some 1,366 projects worth about USD 75Mn is the achievement of the Social Development Agency (ADS) since its creation back in 2001. The figures were released by the agency's director general, Najib Guedira, at a conference on the occasion of ADS' fifth anniversary. The official added that the agency's contribution to financing these projects stands at USD 28.4Mn, i.e. 38%, noting that some two million people benefited from these projects, especially in rural areas in the different regions of the kingdom. ADS is a state-owned body that aims at curbing poverty and promoting sustainable development in Morocco notably through helping fund sustainable projects.

The conference was marked by the signature of four agreements between the agency on the one hand and the UN Population Fund; the association to fight AIDS (ALCS) and the Moroccan solidarity and development association (AMSED); the ministry of higher education and scientific research; and the inter-cultural education and training center (CEFIR) on the other hand on the different field of action of the agency.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/social_development_a/view 
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Gas water-heaters blamed for most asphyxia cases, investigation.
Rabat, Apr. 20

A research on the incidents caused by gas water-heaters shows that the main reason of asphyxia (death by suffocation) is the inappropriate installation conditions of the devices, confirmed Minister of Industry and Trade, Salahddine Mezouar. He explained that usually the incidents take place because of a ventilation insufficiency. As show the available results on a recent incident in El Jadida, the tragedy happened because of a burning gas oozing from the water-heater, which was installed at the kitchen without the gas evacuation pipe. About 31 water-heater types were checked since the beginning of the year, noted the minister, adding that there is only one type banned from marketing as it does not respond to security standards.

Mezouar also stressed on the need to increase the control of gas water-heater importation as their use soared owing to their low price (around USD 40). The number of used water-heaters, he underlined, has quadruplicated during last three years. In order to avoid similar incidents, the minister recommended not to use water-heaters. He also called for checking the quality of attachments (gas regulators and rubber pipes).
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/gas_water-heaters_bl/view 
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'Symphonie marocaine' to represent Morocco in 2007 Oscars.
Rabat, Apr. 24

La "Symphonie marocaine" (Moroccan Symphony) of director Kamal Kamal will represent Morocco in the 2007 Oscars for the best foreign movie, announced the Moroccan Cinematography Center (CCM). The work, which focuses on the ability of Moroccans to adapt to the modern world, was screened in movie theaters in February. A commission designated by CCM met on April 22 and watched all the movies that meet the criteria required by the Oscars organisers (notably the movies premiere between October 2005 and September 30, 2006.) Chaired by Sarim Fassi Fihri, the commission included movie makers, producers, technicians and actors.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/imp_culture/symphonie_marocaine/view 
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King dedicates food control body
April 28, 2006, . By Andnetwork.com

King Mohammed VI kicked off on Thursday the construction, in the north-central town of Meknès, of the regional offshoot of the Autonomous Establishment for Food Exports Control and Coordination (EACCE) and its laboratory. The center, to be completed in 10 months, will cost MAD 8.69Mn (nearly USD1 million).

The EACCE is a public department that is run by a governing board made up of representatives of administration bodies and private sector enterprises working in the food business. It is tasked with controlling food products destined to exportation to make them conform to international market rules and standards. Annually, it checks some 250,000 samples of fruits and vegetables and of frozen, processed seafood Building the regional offshoot in Meknès is part of a move to decentralize food control activity and expand EACCE offices nationwide. The laboratory is expected to conduct some 63.000 food screening per year, including olive oil, canned vegetables, spices and herbs, wines, fresh produce...

On the other hand, the Sovereign visited the historical site of "Moulay Ismail Granary" after the completion of the first stage of the site's restoration with a budget of MAD 2,1Mn (around USD233,000). The second stage of the site's revamping, to be carried out this year, was allotted MAD 1.50Mn (about USD166,000). The site is to host a centre for the promotion of historical sites of Meknès and neighbouring Fès, like the thermal resorts of Moulay Yâakoub and Sidi Harazem and the regions of Moulay Driss Zerhoun, volubilis and Azrou.

The site has been revamped by the Culture Ministry in partnership with the Mediterranean IMED-Italy Institute of the European Commission part of the Delta project that includes a cultural and tourist circuit and a virtual museum of Sefrou handicraft professions. The site is also to host a museum on horses to exhibit items on the history of horses in Morocco, the horse in the Moroccan tradition and horses seen by artists.
http://www.andnetwork.com/index?service=direct/0/Home/recent.fullStory&sp=l32238 
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New archaeological discoveries in Khemisset province. 
By Susan Searight-Martinet 4/25/2006

Moroccan archaeologists working since beginning April on the Zemmour Plateau in Khemisset province have brought to light in the Ifri n'Amer ou Moussa caves remains of structures, graves and objects dating from the Copper Age, in particular the Bell Beaker civilization (3000-1800 BC), said a report Monday from the Ministry of Culture. This discovery will increase knowledge of the copper age cultures in Morocco, indicated the same source. The exceptional character of the cave is reinforced by the discovery of a human skeleton buried in a grave, it added.

Metal objects, including a Palmella weapon-head, a bone needle and several sherds of Beaker pottery have been revealed on the site. This discovery in fact represents the first man of the Bell Beaker civilization ever to be discovered in Morocco, declared the same source.

The Ifri n'Amer ou Moussa cave (100 m SE of the Souk Sebt cave) is big: 20 m wide, 14.5 m deep, with a gallery prolongation 17.5 m long. The high ceiling has fallen down in the middle, leaving a 4-metre wide skylight. The large stone block that fell occupies the central part of the living-space. The cave has thick sediments rich in ash, with stones brought in from outside, several of which show signs of use.

A programme of archaeological prospecting and excavation on the Neolithic and Protohistoric periods on the Zemmour Plateau has been in place since 2005, as part of the research undertaken by the Rabat-based National Institute of Archaeological and Heritage Sciences (INSAP).
http://www.moroccotimes.com/paper/article.asp?idr=49&id=14322 
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Ahmed Assid optimistic about inclusion of Amazigh in Moroccan Constitution.
By Lahcen Moqnia for Magharebia in Casablanca -- 25/04/06

In an interview with Magharebia, Amazigh scholar Ahmed Assid discusses the chances of realising the demand for Amazigh to be recognised as an official language in the Moroccan Constitution. Morocco is considering constitutional changes as King Mohammad VI has embraced the recommendations of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission.

One potential reform is the Amazigh demand for recognition of their language as an official language in the Moroccan Constitution. Amazigh scholar Ahmed Assid, a member of the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture, discusses the issue in an interview with Magharebia.

Magharebia: What are the chances of realising the Amazigh demand for recognition of their language as an official language in the Moroccan Constitution?

Ahmed Assid: I am optimistic. At the moment, consensus exists among the political leadership in Morocco over the need to determine clearly the dimensions of Moroccan identity, including the Amazigh dimension, in the preamble to the Constitution, thereby recognising the right of Amazigh to be a national language. This represents an important development compared to the 1990s when even the very mention of the Amazigh language was unacceptable. But this will not meet the full demands of the Amazigh movement. What we expect from the anticipated constitutional reforms concerns not only the issue of Amazigh language recognition, but also the democratisation of local authorities and the powers which are granted to these authorities, which will assist in raising Amazigh status.

Magharebia: Four years after the Royal Institute for Amazigh Culture was established on the initiative of King Mohammad VI, how would you evaluate its achievements?

Assid: The institute's first achievement was to carry the Amazigh struggle off the streets and into the "establishment". For the first time in history, we have an official body gathering together great and well-renowned experts in the Amazigh field, enabling them to work collectively on comprehensive strategies. The institute has succeeded in introducing Amazigh language programmes into the education system on the grounds that the teaching of Amazigh should be available to every Moroccan as a national language. Work is also being done to gradually standardise the Amazigh language within educational establishments, promote the writing of Amazigh in its original "Tifinagh" and introduce teaching of the language in all schools.

The institute has also produced an Amazigh textbook using the latest teaching methods, with a new content based on universal human values and a universal strategy to introduce Amazigh into audio and visual media. It has also succeeded in getting 30 per cent of television programmes on national channels to be broadcast in Amazigh.

Magharebia: The Azetta Association proposes an initiative to establish an alternative body to the Royal Institute, which it criticises for lacking independence. What is your opinion of this initiative?

Assid: Azetta has not offered any written account of its evaluation of the institute's work. Regarding independence, I believe that the institute's presence at the King's side grants it greater independence in practice, which would not be the case if it belonged to the government, as the Azetta association claims. The work of the government is tied to directives of political parties and the big Moroccan parties are known for their hostility towards the Amazigh. It is well-known in Morocco that controversial issues regarding women, for example, or the Amazigh, can only be resolved by references to the rulings of the royal establishment and the powers granted to it by the Constitution. We favour exploiting these powers in order to strengthen democracy and human rights in our country.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/articles/2006/04/25/feature-02 
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Fès Borj Nord arms museum to re-open after revamping.
Fès, Apr. 27

The Borj Nord Arms Museum of the north-central city of Fès is re-opening on Thursday after it was revamped following instructions of King Mohammed VI, a press release of the General Staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR) said. Borj Nord, or northern fortress tower of the old town walls, was built in 1582 by Saadian Sultan Ahmed El Mansour Eddahbi to secure the protection of Fès. The structure is testimony to the evolution of military architecture.

The Tower and walls were constructed to sustain heavy canon balls. This XVIth century fortress remains true to its military tradition since it has been transformed into the Arms Museum. The collections have been built up mainly with royal donations and include a number of rare pieces. The restoration was assigned to the Moroccan Military History Commission that asked specialized research offices, in cooperation with the Culture Minister and other relevant departments, for counselling on the new look of the museum.

The press release said the re-opening of the museum is part of the activities celebrating the FAR 50th anniversary. The museum is displaying in 13 rooms 775 military items out of the 5000 arms collection, which includes weaponry from the pre-historic axe to the modern rifle. Many civilizations are represented: Indian, European and Asian. The collection also includes fine Moroccan items: daggers encrusted with stones or rifles and outstandingly, a 5-meter canon weighing 12 tons, used during the Battle of the Three Kings.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/box5/fes_borj_nord_arms_m/view 
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Moroccan Observatory created to integrate women into political life.
By Mawassi Lahcen 28/04/2006

With the 2007 electoral entitlements approaching, the question of Moroccan women's participation in political life has returned to the forefront of societal concerns. In this context, a group of political and civil society authorities created the "Moroccan Observatory for the integration of woman into political life," on Saturday (22 April) in Casablanca. In order to fight all forms of discrimination against women, the Moroccan Observatory will aim to supervise the development of the political stance of Moroccan women and their level of participation in political life; as well as analyse why women have been reluctant to engage in political activity. Other tasks include identifying and exposing obstacles and deterrents to the political emancipation of Moroccan women and their access to decision-making positions.

The Observatory will publish periodic studies and reports. "Our aim is to become an authoritative documentation centre, whether it is in regard to political life in Morocco in general or the question of Moroccan women's integration, and especially to strengthen women's position in the political field," said Mohammed Raoudi, president of the preparatory commission for the creation of the Observatory. He also added that the Observatory would pay special attention to the circumstances of women in desert areas and the suburbs and outskirts of big cities.

A number of political authorities from different parties of the Moroccan political spectrum will be among the Observatory's participating bodies. They represent the moderate Islamic Justice and Development Party, the Socialist Party and the liberal Constitutional Union Party. The Observatory, however, will be independent of political parties, and insists that extending invitations to political parties would not weaken its adherence to provisions in its charter to "put political affiliations aside when they attend the Observatory's meeting and to uphold the aims drawn up and agreed upon in the Observatory's charter".

For its first initiative, the Observatory is planning to draw up a document containing its recommendations and proposals regarding the integration of women into political life. It will present the document to the Moroccan government and seek o have it incorporated into the National Initiative for Human Development. Raoudi said that the document would soon be sent to the Moroccan prime minister as an open letter, published in the national press.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/04/28/feature-01 
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