Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
June 3 , 2006

Moroccan-US medical campaign benefits 7,000 people in southern Morocco.
American company to sell Moroccan phosphates in North America.
ADFM calls on Jettou for Nationality Code reform.
Unemployment rate under 10% in 2006.

Moroccan-US medical campaign benefits 7,000 people in southern Morocco.
Taghjijt, May 29

Over 7,700 people in the southern province of Guelmim benefited from the Moroccan-US joint medical campaign, held on May 22-28. The campaign, organized in parallel with the Moroccan-US joint military exercise for humanitarian mission dubbed "African Lion", brought together Moroccan and US military physicians, including pediatricians, dentists, dermatologists, ophthalmologists and gynecologists. The 2006 African Lion humanitarian exercise is part of bilateral cooperation between the Moroccan and US armed forces to consolidate the two armies' capacities in planning and managing operations for humanitarian missions. In this respect, a field-hospital was established to provide medical check-ups for the region inhabitants.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/moroccan-us_medical/view 
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American company to sell Moroccan phosphates in North America.
Washington, June 1

The American Playmouth-based Mosaic Company and Maroc Phosphore jointly announced on Wednesday they signed a Memorandum of Understanding for entering into an exclusive long term purchase and sale agreement whereby MP will supply Mosaic with all its requirements of granular triple superphosphate (GTSP) for distribution in the North American market. Maroc Phosphore is an affiliate of the Casablanca-based "Office Cherifien des Phosphates" (OCP) Group of Morocco. The agreement will run through 2011 and is renewable upon mutual agreement at that time. Mosaic expects to market up to 200,000 tonnes per year of GTSP in North America.

OCP is a Moroccan state-owned company, the world's largest producer and exporter of phosphate rock, the world's largest exporter of phosphoric acid and one of the world's largest producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate crop nutrients. The Mosaic Company is one of the world's leading producers and marketers of concentrated phosphate and potash crop nutrients. For the global agriculture industry, Mosaic is a single source of phosphates, potash, nitrogen fertilizers and feed ingredients. MC resulted from a fusion in 2004 between ''Cargill Crop Nutrition'' and ''IMC Global'' and employs some 8,000 people worldwide. It has a USD 7.2Bn capital.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/economy/american_company_to/view 
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ADFM calls on Jettou for Nationality Code reform.
By Hassan Benmahdi

The Moroccan Women's Democratic Association is concerned about the slow pace of reform of the Nationality Code. King Mohammed VI originally proposed reforming the Nationality Code in a 30 July 2005 speech. The monarch's interest in the initiative makes it surprising that reform is taking so long. The Moroccan Women's Democratic Association (ADFM) highlighted the fact in an open letter to Prime Minister Driss Jettou. The ADFM also mentioned factors giving rise to rumours and fears regarding reform.."It is a matter of urgency and high time that parliament pass a clear and unambiguous law on the right of Moroccan women to pass on their nationality to their children without restrictions," the association said. "We shall insist that Mr. Driss Jettou keep us up to date on the progress of this law and also future deadlines for the various stages," The letter goes on to say.

According to Mina Tafnout, president of the ADFM's Rabat division, the association is right to be worried about the slow pace and lack of consultation and information on Nationality Code reform. She said that since King Mohmamed VI announced his desire for reform enabling Moroccan women to pass on their nationality to their children, the law still has not been debated by the Government Council or the Council of Ministers. She adds such developments threaten to disappoint many Moroccan women. "The king's speech and the recent announcement of the lifting of the restrictions of Article 9 of Moroccan law on the right of women to pass on their nationality to their children have given hope to women married to foreigners and women's and human rights NGOs that the question will see a positive outcome,"Tafnout said.

Tafnout added that despite the many efforts it has made, the ADFM still has not received any information or details enabling it either to reassure women directly affected by the issue or to prepare for lobbying the legislative body on their behalf when the bill is put before it. Parliament President Abdelwahed Radi announced during the opening of the spring session that the bill to reform the Nationality Code would be among the laws to be considered and enacted during the course of this session, Tafnout added. To ensure the reform issue is discussed, the ADFM has now deemed it necessary to appeal to Jettou.
http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2006/05/30/feature-02 
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Unemployment rate under 10% in 2006.
Rabat, May 30

Unemployment rate in Morocco dropped under 10% in 2006, revealed, here Monday, Employment Minister, Mustapha Mansouri who explained this decline notably by a "very favorable" economic situation, mainly in the agricultural sector. "Independent forecasting centers herald a growth rate of 7.1% for 2006," Mansouri told national channel "TVM", noting that the measures taken by the government to fight unemployment aim to create some 200,000 job opportunities by 2008.

The government has allocated USD 327Mn to promote employment notably among young graduates within a three-year plan, which aims to remedy to the current situation in the employment field through opening new horizons that promote self-employment and integrating graduates in the private sector. The active population in Morocco is estimated at 11,128,000, including 26.1% of women. It is almost evenly distributed in urban (5.686.000) and rural (5.442.000) regions. The activity rate of Moroccans 15 years old and over is 51.3% from 53% a year before.
http://www.map.ma/eng/sections/social/unemployment_rate_un/view 
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