Virtual Magazine of Morocco on the Web
Morocco Week in Review 
August 3 , 2013

Nearly 200,000 young Moroccans are attending state-run "Holidays for All" camps this summer. Held under the theme, "summer camps, a place of citizenship and learning", the programme offers children and teenagers a chance to spend their school holiday at 237 sites.

The project is of the utmost importance, according to Youth and Sports Minister Mohamed Ouzzine.  "The ministry's action plan for this sector includes further upgrading and renovation of infrastructure, updating educational and teaching syllabuses, an overhaul of the training system, assistance with financing and the promotion of partnerships in order to boost funding," Ouzzine added.

This year, new facilities were created, four campsites restructured and several others renovated.

"I welcome the initiative," Fatima Cherrat, the mother of a 15-year-old boy who is attending one of the summer camps, told Magharebia. "My son Fouad would never have been able to travel and have a good holiday if it were not for this state-run scheme. His brother took part in it last year. It's a real boost for our children, who learn a lot of things."

Beneficiaries take part in educational, cultural and artistic group activities. The project's objective is to teach young people about community life based on participation and responsibility, according to the youth and sports ministry. Enabling young people to become independent and make friends are also among the government's aims.

The idea is also to give something for young people to do and alleviate the negative effect of inactivity during the school holidays. "The programme offers vacations and relaxing days out to thousands of people from disadvantaged families," sociologist Samira Kassimi said. "While having fun, the beneficiaries absorb messages about civic-sense of duty and citizenship. Despite the criticisms that could be made of this scheme in terms of logistics, it is proving to be very useful," she added.

This is because many people cannot afford to travel during the holidays or take part in recreational, sports or cultural activities, Kassimi explained.

For many young people, summer means hard work. Adil Chati, who is 19, is never idle during the summer season, when he becomes an ice cream man. "I'm studying at university," Chati said. "To reach my goals, I have to work hard throughout the summer. My father died five years ago. My mother and I live with my grandparents. We have no money. I have to work so I can pursue my education. I don't complain. I have a lot of ambitions for the future." http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2013/08/02/feature-03
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Most of us cherish mementos from our travels – t-shirts from far-away beach bars, colorful ceramics and hand-crafted clothing. But few could match the treasure trove that Sylvia and Sam Kaplan are unpacking in their Minneapolis home after nearly four years in Morocco, where he served as U.S. ambassador: 8,000 pounds – yes, four tons – of rugs, antique swords, tea sets, cookware, art, clothing, etc., etc.

The Kaplans purchased most of the items they shipped from Morocco to Minnesota. Other pieces were gifts. The exchange of diplomatic gifts is a centuries old tradition, according to the National Archives. “From the ancient civilizations of Rome and Egypt to the native tribes of North America, ceremonial gifts have paved the way for peaceful coexistence between peoples of different cultures,” says a display in the archives.

In 1787, a young America decided to reject these universal symbols in the language of diplomacy. The founders banned the acceptance of foreign gifts by U.S. government officials……………………

Read more here: http://www.minnpost.com/politics-policy/2013/07/kaplans-return-morocco-treasure-trove-diplomatic-memories
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Portage Northern High School junior to study in Morocco after receiving YES scholarship award.
By Tom Haroldson Special to MLive   on July 28, 2013 PORTAGE, MI

A Portage Northern High School junior will be studying for a year in Morocco as part of the Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Abroad program. Catherine Cartier is one of 65 students nationwide to be awarded a scholarship under the U.S. State Department program. Cartier, who is also a student at the Kalamazoo Area Math and Science Center, received the merit-based award that covers the full cost of an academic year abroad.

The Portage Public Schools student will live with a host family in Rabat, Morocco, attend a Moroccan high school and “develop the skills necessary to be a leader in the global community” according to a press release from the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

By participating in the YES Abroad program, Cartier will serve as “youth ambassador” in Morocco, “promoting mutual understanding by building lasting relationships with her host family and friends, and through community engagement in volunteer service and leadership training.” She is writing about her experiences at writingsfromrabat.blogspot.com.

The Kennedy-Lugar YES program was first authorized by Congress in the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks to increase dialogue and understanding between the U.S. and countries with significant Muslim populations.

Initially created as a program for international high school students to live and study in the United States, the YES program was expanded in 2007 to include YES Abroad for American high school students. The YES Abroad program provides opportunities for Americans to study for an academic year in select countries including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Morocco, Oman, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey. http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2013/07/portage_northern_junior_to_stu.html
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Last spring, I attended a Havdalah service in Rabat, Morocco. The synagogue, tucked away in the second floor of a business building, was completely hidden from any and all passersby and, on the night I went, had more empty seats than occupied ones.

Halfway through the service, a cacophonous chorus of Muslim call to prayers went off, radiating from the loudspeakers on surrounding mosques and penetrating the sanctuary walls. The medium-pitched male voices reciting Arabic nearly drowned out the Hebrew prayers, as they do every Saturday. But the congregants, too deep in worship to notice, confidently carried on with the service. 

During my time studying abroad in Morocco last year, I undertook a project that led me to immerse myself in the Moroccan Jewish way of life. I was unaware of Morocco's rich, deep-seated history of Judaism before going; this is a history that reaches back centuries, well before the wave of Islam swept North Africa in the seventh century.

At its peak in the 1940s, Jews in Morocco numbered 300,000, roughly 10 percent of the country's population (and more than any other Muslim country). Today, that figure has sunk to around 3,000, as many left to start new lives in Israel, Europe and North America, and that number is dwindling still. But after spending time with Moroccan Jews, observing their daily practices, visiting synagogues, and attending Shabbat services, Jewish concerts and a Passover seder, I found this small community to be very much alive.

To get some background for my project, I spoke with a number of elderly Jewish Moroccans, listening to their stories about what it's like living in a Muslim country. One man told me that his best friend growing up was Muslim, and that they each participated in one another's religious practices, including helping prepare kosher food for holidays. A Jewish couple, though, said they experienced heavy anti-Semitism around the time of the Six Day and Yom Kippur Wars when tensions reverberated throughout the Muslim world and when many Jews left Morocco. Soldiers were sent to patrol the Jewish quarter where they lived and the couple nearly lost their jobs.

This got me thinking: why did some Jews stay when many of their friends and neighbors left? Again, the answers were all across the board. Some remained because of work, others because they couldn't afford the costs of travel, and others still because they felt a deep, personal tie to Morocco, their home. And because they chose to stay, I found, these people have no reason not to go about their lives as other Moroccans would. They work-as lawyers, teachers, politicians-maintain friendships with both Jews and Muslims and keep traditions. For the most part, they live happily.

But during a Moroccan Jewish concert in Casablanca, I caught wind of a trend that threatened to say otherwise. A Jewish high school student, who happened to be performing that evening, approached me and we got to talking. I remember him leaning in close, nearly whispering to me that he wants to leave for France when he finishes school, attend college there, and never return to Morocco. I asked why and he told me that there are hardly any Jews in Morocco so he has no reason to stay. Others confirmed what he said: Jewish youth are increasingly studying and living abroad, a trend that, coupled with the elderly passing away, could threaten the future of Judaism in Morocco.

Spending more time with Jewish Moroccans, I continued to sense the strength of their religious community but came to realize that, yes, it is in danger. What's worrisome is that Morocco is becoming like other Muslim countries, on the verge of losing evidence of its history of Judaism, of religious and cultural diversity. Unlike in the 40s and before, most Moroccans today don't know Jews simply because they don't come into contact with them. 

In the final few weeks of my program, I visited the Museum for Moroccan Judaism in Casablanca (unique to the Muslim world), as well as a museum in Fes, adjacent to an enormous Jewish cemetery. Both were stuffed with artifacts, clothing, photographs. These spaces reassured me that memories of Moroccan Judaism will remain for those who seek them out.

Just as it did for centuries, Judaism can and does exist in this country where Jews are a severe minority. After acquainting myself with the community, I hope it continues to exist.

Nathan Evans is a senior at Illinois Wesleyan University majoring in international studies and religion. A 2012 Lewis Summer Intern with JUF News, he currently works at the Kindling Group, a documentary film company in Uptown.
http://www.juf.org/news/world.aspx?id=422258
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How did Morocco avoid "Arab Spring"?
31 July 2013  By Vestnik Kavkaza

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to the Russian Federation, Abdelkader Lecheheb, took part in a press conference marking the National Day of the Kingdom of Morocco, which is celebrated on July 30. It was on this day in 1999 that Mohammed VI was crowned, one of the first Arab leaders to have responded to the demands of the masses. Already in the early days of the "Arab Spring", which began about four years ago in the Middle East and North Africa, he announced reforms.

The ambassador spoke about the recent achievements and challenges, and what the situation in the country looks like today, as the Arab countries are going through a difficult period.

“We have adopted a new constitution, our country has a new government, which is headed by the "Party of Justice and Development," Abdelkader Lecheheb says. “The experience of Morocco in the social sector, given the broad changes that have swept the Arab world, is a significant success, and all of society and its political and social groups rallied together and took the path of change towards building the democratic foundations of our state.

According to the ambassador, “there is a unity between the King and the major social and political forces of the country, they share a common vision for the future of our country, the desire to make further progress to strengthen the foundations of our nation. Especially because Morocco is an ancient nation that is older than 14 centuries, and since the proclamation of national independence our state has been characterized by political pluralism, we have various political forces, on the right, on the left, and in the centre. We have freedom of the press, freedom of speech, freedom of political discussions. They occur both in political and legislative organizations, as well as in various public and national organizations. And in order to maintain stability and achieve the continuous growth of our country, in order to fit into the regional and world development, we provide a balanced policy and strive both to develop democracy and achieve economic growth. It is the one task that can provide stability and successful social and political development. King Mohammed VI goes on frequent and regular trips to various parts of the country, he visits the most important industries and economic enterprises, and aims to stimulate their development.”
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/articles/politics/43271.html
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Embracing the northwest corner of Africa at the gateway to the Mediterranean is the "Kingdom of Morocco." Rabat is the political capital while Casablanca is the largest city. 

Islam is the official religion of Morocco, representing the Muslim majority. Ramadan is considered as the exclusive time for inner reflection and understanding the plight of poor and needy. People are seen distributing food among the less privileged. This indeed sows the seeds of compassion as the whole community comes together. 

The morning meal is called "Sobh" in Moroccan dialect of Arabic. People eat light meals like oatmeal, yoghurt, croissants, dates, bread and also drink plenty of water. Coffee, milk and mint tea are also consumed.

During Iftar the tables are laden with food. Dates reappear with different types of juice, milk, tea and coffee. People drink the typical Moroccan soup called "Hareera", with honey-made Moroccan pastry called "Shabakia". Hareera is a tomato-based soup, which is part of the Iftar menu every day during this month. A variety of breads such as Msemen and Rghayif (layered flat breads cooked in skillet like Indian parathas) are also part of the customary Ramadan diet. Olives, boiled eggs, cheese, marmalade and butter are also seen on Iftar tables. Moroccan tea biscuits, known as "Fekkas," are also consumed. 

After Iftar, families are seen rushing to the mosques for Taraweeh prayers. Fatima Ben Maryem, a French national of Moroccan descent, says that during this holy month different families prepare meals and send them to mosques for people who congregate for Iftar. Different families in the neighbourhood also come together and have a collective Iftar. Once the prayers are over, people head to cafes and relax till the wee hours of morning.
Written by Shirin Ashraf - Special to Times of Oman
http://www.timesofoman.com/News/Article-20452.aspx
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The Morocco Summit, taking place on 19-21 November 2013 in Rabat will bring together industry leaders, policy makers and other professional experts across the major industrial sectors to explore business opportunities in Morocco.

27 May 2013, Rabat: Morocco is an emerging market at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. Since the stagnation of the 1990s, Morocco has been on a steady path of economic recovery, with sound macroeconomic management and sustained growth in non-agricultural sectors economy in the direction of trade liberalization and increased reliance on market forces and the private sector.

Today, the economy has proved relatively resilient in the face of the recent global economic slowdown. The government has created a fast and efficient customs service, specialized commercial courts, 16 regional investment centers to ensure speedy company registration and business troubleshooting and has signed a wide array of trade agreements with the US, the EU, and MENA countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates. Aware of the fact that investment is a key factor to ensure sustainable and sustained economic growth, Morocco has liberalized its economy by easing procedures, providing better protection to private operators through the introduction of new laws aimed at improving investment conditions and, thus, acquiring significant flow of domestic and foreign private capital. In a bid to promote foreign investments in 2007, Morocco adopted a series of measures and legal provisions to simplify procedures.

The strategic location provides easy access to Morocco from USA, Europe and Middle East which makes it a gateway for international trade and also a future business hub. Morocco has a stable socio-political environment along with a vast reserve of multicultural and educated population. The country also provides a sound infrastructure which makes it easy for business to set up a base or a branch in Morocco. The Government of Morocco is continuously working on attracting international investments and has taken all the measures to ensure world class services and infrastructure is provided to the businesses and citizens.

The unique and strategic location, culture, weather and a stable economy makes Morocco a promising country for international investors. The government is taking initiatives to enhance the infrastructure developmental activities and promoting foreign investment. By balancing and absorbing the political, and economic influences from surrounding regions, Morocco may remain one of the most peaceful, stable, and pluralistic countries in the Arab and African world.

Building on the success of its renowned conferences in Africa, South America, Asia, Europe, Middle East, and North America, Fleming Gulf is concerting its efforts with ARPA International; the Moroccan Chamber of Commerce and other Moroccan national partners to prepare its first edition of The Morocco Summit, taking place on 19-21 November 2013 in Rabat, Morocco. This action-oriented forum aspires to bring together over 250 world leaders from a breadth of disciplines and legal traditions to promote Morocco as an investment hub and gateway to doing business in North Africa. The summit promises to set a platform for industry and legal experts, government representatives and international investors to come together and explore the investment opportunities through cross vertical discussions and benefits that Morocco has to offer.

The summit offers an unprecedented opportunity to understand the dynamics, opportunities and requirements of investing or doing business in the country; break the legal constraints to facilitate investments in Morocco and increase understanding of the regulatory framework in the country and its investment infrastructure, from legalistic and academic angles.
Visit www.fleminggulf.com/morocco for more information.
http://africanbrains.net/2013/07/31/morocco-remains-the-leading-performer-in-the-african-continent/
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Morocco: All the King’s Men. 
Tuesday 30, July 2013 by Raza Agha

King Mohammed VI has accepted resignations from the Istiqlal party, paving the way for new coalition talks. While Morocco could avoid another post Arab Spring election, new coalition members and rising public opposition to fiscal reforms are likely to dilute the reform agenda. While a macro situation a la Egypt, Jordan or Lebanon is not a near term scenario, the lack of fiscal reform could have implications for the negative outlooks by ratings agencies and (in the worse-case scenario) the contingency IMF program in place.

Traded external debt wise, Morocco continues to offer significant premium on other BBB rated credits, with the 22s yielding 5.2% and the 42s 6.5%; Euro-denominated paper is at much tighter levels –the 17s about 2.7% while the 20s ~ 3.9% - helped by lower duration and stronger technicals. That we have not moved to underweight on Moroccan credit is primarily a reflection of how well it compares with non-oil peers in the region on the basis of fundamentals (macro, financing and politics), and the yield premium its sovereign paper offers on similarly rated peers. However, the momentum in terms of the economy and politics is negative; hence, we would prefer to hold Dubai and Bahrain (the latter despite weaker fundamentals because the Bahraini 22s yield 50bps higher than the Morocco 22s, while the ‘negatives’ in the credit are now well-known).

In detail...

King Mohammed VI, the ruler of Morocco, has accepted resignations of the junior ruling coalition member, the Istiqlal Party, but asked parting ministers to stay in office till replacements can be sworn in after talks for a new coalition member are completed by Prime Minister Abdellilah Benkirane. That the latter was included in the statement from the monarch can perhaps be interpreted as signal that elections are likely to avoided; given that of Istiqlal held 60 seats in the 395 seat Moroccan House of Representatives (the lower house of parliament), there was a possibility that the Justice and Development Party (PJD), the senior member of the ruling coalition, would be forced to call early parliamentary elections; the Islamist PJD formed a coalition with three parties post elections in 2011. That the monarchy has not talked of/indicated elections is perhaps a reflection of two things: (a) Prime Minister Benkirane, head of the PJD, remains popular implying elections may not produce a hugely different outcome; and, (b) developments in Egypt (increasing violence) and Tunisia (political assassinations) are an example of where political polarization can lead to.

The PJD itself holds 107 seats, which coupled with the Popular Movement’s 32 seats and the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS)’s 18 seats makes the ruling coalition 41 seats short of the 198 seats required for a parliamentary majority. PM Benkirane has said he intends to hold talks with all political parties for a new coalition. Talks with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), with 52 seats in parliament, have been on-going since the middle of this month. Talks are likely to be difficult as the RNI has been vocally opposed to the PJD-led government’s reform program/drive since coming to office in late November 2011.

Outside the RNI, another alternative was the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP), with 39 seats, although media reports suggest that Istiqlal had met with the leadership of the party and agreed to remain in opposition. Of the remaining parties in parliament, the only weighty option then is the Authenticity and Mordenity Party (PAM), with some 47 seats in the lower house. Media reports suggest that a PJD/PAM alliance appears unlikely, perhaps because of how aligned it is with the monarchy; while all opposition parties are royalists to one degree or another, back in August 2008 when PAM was first formed, there were allegations that this was done to act as a counterweight to the Islamist, and more independent, PJD. Whatever the truth, if PAM is not a likely new coalition partner that pretty much leaves the RNI as the only alternative.

However, that the RNI and the PJD are meeting implies that there could be some dilution of the reform agenda, including a planned reduction (not elimination) in subsidies post Ramadan; the latter is planned to be achieved by moving to automatic price adjustments in line with international prices for some subsidized commodities such fuel and sugar, helping reduce 20% on the annual subsidy bill (6.5% of GDP in 2012; ~5% fuel-related, ~1.5% food-related). Fiscal reforms themselves have been necessitated by a ballooning fiscal deficit which amounted to 7.5% of GDP last year (incl. grants; IMF), while a 5.5% of GDP deficit is estimated for this year. And while public debt levels of around 60% of GDP (2013f; IMF) are still modest relative to other non-oil peers such as Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, the deterioration since the global financial crisis has led ratings agencies to change the outlook on sovereign ratings to negative. Further, while the IMF’s USD6.2 billion contingency program (PLL) is still in place, the Fund is keen on deeper fiscal reforms.

With the reform-opposed RNI in talks with the PJD, and August 17 set as the date for anti-government protests by Morocco’s version of the Egyptian Tamarod (rebel) movement that reportedly collected more than 22 million signatures calling for the ouster of then president Mursi, the outlook for fiscal reforms –is looking increasingly difficult.
http://www.cpifinancial.net/blog/post/22217/morocco-all-the-kings-men
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Morocco will delay a planned deregulation of prices for some subsidized products until after Ramadan following controversy over its announcement of the move before the Muslim fasting month when millions of Moroccans spend heavily. The Islamist-led government, under pressure from the International Monetary Fund, is seeking to cut back on subsidies that burned up 53.36 billion dirhams of public money in 2012 or 6.4 pct of Morocco's GDP.

But the reforms also mean pain for households used to subsidized oil, gas, sugar and other staple goods. "We will launch the automatic price adjustment after Ramadan," Finance Minister Nizar Baraka told Reuters. "We will announce the exact day after the sacred month taking into consideration the commodity prices in the international markets."

General Affairs and Governance Minister Mohamed Najib Boulif said last week that the government would start automatic price adjustment within weeks for fuel - except cooking gas - and sugar. The government expects the shift to cut spending on subsidies by 20 percent, to 42 billion dirhams ($5 billion) or less. That is within the limit fixed by the 2013 budget, which is based on an oil price of $105.

Boulif noted that if oil prices were lower than $105 then Moroccans would wind up paying less than if the subsidy scheme had been left in place. "The adjustment will be in both directions. When (oil) prices are less than $105, that will let Moroccans consider that it is not necessarily a bad thing," he argued last week.

The government, however, may also set a different pricing regime of diesel fuel to protect the transportation sector and avoid a snowball effect on prices. "We are considering how to set a different pricing regime for diesel used in the transport of people and goods, but it is in discussions and not yet decided," Transport Minister Abdelaziz Rebbah told Reuters earlier this week.

That may sharply reduce the savings for the government as the transport sector burns up around 65 percent of the national consumption of oil, according to ministry figures.

A junior party is threathening to quit the governing coalition unless Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane moderated plans for the sweeping cuts. Benkirane, backed by the IMF to the tune of $6.2 billion under a precautionary credit line agreed last year, insists the reforms will go ahead. (Reporting By Aziz El Yaakoubi; editing by Patrick Graham) http://www.trust.org/item/20130703141804-mbhgu/?source%20=%20hpbreaking
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 Morocco presents gender equality plan modified by Islamist party.
By Smail Bellaoualli, The Associated Press July 5, 2013 RABAT, Morocco

Morocco's Islamist-led government on Friday presented a new European Union-funded plan to promote women's rights and equality, but without earlier measures to legalize abortion and support single mothers. The plan, which is funded with 45 million euros (about $58 million) from the EU, contains 150 measures to improve women's equality in the health and education sectors, and access to government employment, Minister of Women, Family and Social Development Bassima Hakkaoui said.

Her predecessor, Nouzha Skalli, told The Associated Press that an earlier draft of the plan included a law legalizing abortion in certain cases as well as protection for single mothers.

The Islamist Party of Justice and Development had originally opposed the plan when it was in opposition, and then altered it after they came to power after elections in November 2011.

Hakkaoui said she had informed the EU about the revised approach and there had been no objections.

Though lacking some of the progressive legislation of Tunisia, Morocco passed a new personal status code in 2004 that has been welcomed by feminists. The new constitution passed in 2011 after popular protests inspired by the Arab Spring uprisings in North Africa also guarantees equality between women and men.

While female representation in Moroccan governments has never been high, the current Islamist-led coalition only has a single female minister, Hakkaoui. When asked why women weren't being nominated for more high level posts, the minister replied that few applied. "The problem is that the number of women applying is low, of 245 candidates, only 27 are women," she said. http://www.edmontonjournal.com/news/Morocco+presents+gender+equality+plan+modified+Islamist/8620912/story.html+Islamist/8620912/story.html
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IBM announces Morocco Global Delivery Center, creates up to 400 New Technology Roles.
Moroccan government and IBM collaborate on new technology services center
CASABLANCA, Morocco, July 5, 2013 /PRNewswire/

IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced a new Global Delivery Center in Casablanca that will create up to 400 information technology roles in Morocco over the next three years. The center will enable IBM to deliver a range of innovative technology services to clients in Morocco and across French-speaking Africa.

The new Morocco Global Delivery Center will offer IBM clients in the region high value application development, application maintenance and systems integration services. It will address the increasing demand for flexible software capability to harness the benefits of emerging technologies such as big data, cloud and mobile. IBM is working closely with the Moroccan government and local universities, and the Center is expected to help stimulate economic activity in the country.

"The center is part of a broad program of investment that IBM is making across Africa and reflects IBM's commitment to providing the high-value technology services required by clients in Morocco and French-speaking Africa," said Abdallah Rachidi Alaoui, Country General Manager, IBM Morocco. "It also highlights IBM's commitment to partnering with local universities and academic institutions to deliver high value skills highly relevant in today's marketplace."

Over the next three years, the Morocco Global Delivery Center will employ technology graduates and experienced IT professionals with backgrounds in computer science, engineering, mathematics and science. The center will also offer graduate assignments and internships to attract the best IT talent from across the region.

IBM will work with local universities to support the development of the computer science curriculum and help the next generation of IT talent secure world class training. To cater for changing business needs and the demands of an evolving labor market, students will be equipped with advanced, high demand skills including advanced analytics, process innovation and application development.

"Our work with IBM to create this center reflects the Government of Morocco's deep commitment to investing in developing highly skilled professionals to succeed in competitive global markets," said Mr. Abdelkader Amara, Minister of Industry, Trade and New Technologies. He also added that "The launch and successful development of this technology center, that is expected to grow in the coming years, will result in a culture that will foster and promote a stronger knowledge-based export economy for Morocco."

IBM has been present in Morocco since 1932, and last year, opened an expanded location in the administrative capital, Rabat, doubling IBM's presence and strengthening its operations in the kingdom.

The Morocco Global Delivery Center joins IBM's globally integrated capability network which delivers deep technical and industry expertise to a wide range of public and private sector clients around the world. Last month, IBM recently opened an IBM Services Center in Lille, France that will create up to 700 new technology roles for the French market. These centers are the latest in a series of job-creating investments IBM has made in technology, science and innovation this year. This builds on IBM's efforts to build technology skills for primary and secondary school students, as well as to train college students for technology jobs in local markets.

Recruitment planning for the new positions in Morocco will begin in July in coordination with the National Agency for Employment and Skills Development (ANAPEC) and the Ministry of National Education.
For more information, please visit: http://www.ibm.com/connect/ibm/ma/fr/branch/
Media Contact :  Nadia Kallel  IBM Media Relations  +212 616191463  +21698485358  tn22240@tn.ibm.com
SOURCE IBM  /Web site: http://www.ibm.com
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Morocco's Fast Track to Guilty
Tuesday, July 02, 2013

JURIST Guest Columnist Eric Goldstein of Human Rights Watch discusses the recent developments and ongoing pitfalls of the Moroccan judicial system

Read the article here: http://jurist.org/hotline/2013/07/eric-goldstein-morocco-reform.php
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Morocco’s Cooking Gas Distributors Poised to Strike Over Margins.
By Souhail Karam - Jul 1, 2013

Moroccan cooking gas distributors may stage strikes as early as this week to pressure the Islamist-led government to increase distribution margins, two senior industry representatives said. “Our margins have not changed since 1998,” Mohamed Benjelloun, chairman of the Moroccan Gas Distributors Association, said in a phone interview yesterday from Casablanca. “Our 500-odd members have decided that they can no longer wait and strikes may happen.”

The threat increases pressure on the government’s subsidy reform plan for energy, sugar and wheat flour prices that has been stymied by strong opposition from its junior coalition partners and fear of a social backlash. Morocco opened its coffers during Arab Spring protests two years ago, increasing subsidy spending, public-sector wages and pensions. Its current-account deficit reached 10 percent last year.

Distributors are seeking to increase margins by at least 0.5 dirham for a 3-kilogram canister and 1.5 dirhams for a 12-kilogram canister, according to the association’s vice chairman Yahya Madani. Eliminating the subsidy on cooking gas would push the retail price of the larger canister rise from 42 dirhams to over 120 dirhams, the two officials said.

A first warning strike of as long as 48 hours will be staged at the start of fasting month of Ramadan, expected to begin in the second week of July, Madani said by phone from Tangier.
To contact the reporter on this story: Souhail Karam in Rabat at skaram5@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Tarek El-Tablawy at teltablawy@bloomberg.net
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-01/morocco-s-cooking-gas-distributors-poised-to-strike-over-margins.html
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Ute Junker ditches the madness of the medina for a more authentic Marrakech experience.

The El Abdi family sells doors. You don't often see a door shop; even rarer is a shop selling doors such as these. Ornately decorated portals, heavy with metal and wood, they speak of forbidden worlds; rich interiors fiercely protected from prying eyes. They are doors to a vanished world.

It's not just doors. Inside the labyrinthine three-storey shop, every surface is covered with similar relics: lanterns and vases and trunks and bags and cabinets, made of glass and tin and wood and bone. One of the owners, Abdel, tells me in fluent English first about the wares - the silver trunks decorated with fishbone and camel bone and saffron, the carvings on the Tuareg doors that reveal where the craftsman came from - and then about the shop.

His family has run this store for 300 years, he tells us, and sources items from across Morocco, with rare specimens coming from as far afield as Mali. With genuine sadness, he talks about the pre-fabricated goods on offer in the souk and says his family prefers this out-of-the-way location on the edge of the Mellah, or Jewish quarter. This, he tells me, is the real Marrakech - not the jostling, tourist-driven crush in the souks further north.

Although I leave without buying a door, his sales pitch has worked. Intrigued by his tales, I take a right instead of heading left as planned, and wander into the heart of the Mellah.

There are few Jews left in Marrakech but for centuries they formed a significant community, controlling the important sugar trade and dominating other key industries including banking, jewellery, metalwork and tailoring. Just as European cities confined the Jews to ghettos, Marrakech's rulers created the Mellah, which Jews were unable to leave between sundown and sun-up.

In its 16th-century heyday the Mellah was an appealing neighbourhood, with gardens and fountains as well as souks and synagogues, though it eventually declined into poverty. These days it's almost entirely Muslim and almost entirely residential. A stroll through its streets offers a welcome respite from the constant crowds and cajoling shopkeepers elsewhere in the medina.

These quiet streets allow you to take in the old walls and the character of the individual properties: the dramatic red paint on one house, the crumbling wooden sills and doors on another, the cheerful pink paint job on a local butcher.

Even the shops are different here. In most Marrakech souks, endless stalls sell identical bowls and belly-dancing outfits. Here, the small shops have counters that open onto the streets displaying wares for residents, not tourists: fresh fish and meat, household goods, herbs and spices.

Wandering aimlessly we stumble on the old Jewish cemetery, where the Hebrew inscriptions on the worn tombs are still legible. Nearby is a blue-tiled synagogue where a few old men chat quietly. The welcome calm makes us reluctant to head back to the medina. Instead, we wind our way through narrow alleys back towards the place where our journey began - the Place des Ferblantiers, where the El Abdi family sells their doors.

As the sun heads for the horizon, this quiet square offers a peaceful alternative to the raucous evening entertainment at Jamaa el Fna, the city's main square.

Here, craftsmen are using the last of the light to finish making and repairing tin lanterns, just as their forebears have for centuries. Families are pausing at the end of a busy day - men chatting to each other, women likewise, keeping one eye on their children as they play in the square.

Fronting the square is Kosybar, a welcoming three-storey bar-and-dining complex. We scale the stairs to the roof terrace, where a welcome breeze takes the sting out of the still-warm sun.

As we nibble on olives and down our cool drinks, we watch the storks that nest on the walls of the nearby El Badi Palace and thank our new friend Abdel for encouraging us to explore another side to Marrakech.
The writer was a guest of La Mamounia.
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/travel/mellow-out-in-the-mellah-20130704-2pehx.html#ixzz2YBxtHDxc
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‘ Around the World in 80 Plates' Heads to Marrakech, Morocco
Friday, 01 June 2012

The chefs on Bravo’s "Around the World in 80 Plates" are driven, but they're also cut-throat in the May 30th episode when the show heads to Marrakech, Morocco. As contestants are eliminated one by one, alliances are being made, and those alliances are more about personality than cooking chops.

As the remaining nine contestants race through Marrakech's medina, it's clear they don't all get along.

Chaz Brown is still hung up on Avery winning back in Lyon, France, claiming she took credit where she didn’t deserve it for the quenelle. (Clearly, he can't face reality, since he's the one who constantly took credit when it belonged elsewhere). The feelings between Avery and Chaz are mutual, and she's watching her back.
Through all these emotions, "Around the World in 80 Plates" manages to still be about food knowledge and cooking skills. Split into three teams, the Americans race around the medina to a spice shop, pick out the nine spices in "ras el hanout," and then learn how to fill tea cups in the proper way. Really not much of this helps in the true challenge: making a Moroccan tagine and two additional dishes in a local restaurant............................

Read more here: http://www.morocconewsline.com/lifestyle/moroccan-lifestyle/food-a-drink/643-around-the-world-in-80-plates-heads-to-marrakech-morocco.html
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Morocco-Algeria ties hamstrung despite need for change.
Agence France-Presse July 5, 2013

An outburst of hostile rhetoric between Morocco and Algeria reflects a historic animosity rooted in irreconcilable differences over Western Sahara, with analysts saying political factors are reinforcing the deadlock despite some much-needed cooperation.

The decades-old rivalry between the Maghreb neighbours has resurfaced after Algeria's ageing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, in power for 13 years, suffered a mini-stroke and with Morocco's coalition government on the brink of collapse.

Comments by Algeria's foreign ministry, linking the normalisation of ties to progress on drug trafficking and the Western Sahara dispute, prompted Morocco to "vigorously denounce" what it called "unacceptable" conditions…………….
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/130705/morocco-algeria-ties-hamstrung-despite-need-change
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THERE is an obvious way for those living in the UK to take a family holiday in Marrakech: drive to Gatwick, hop on an easyJet flight and a few hours later you will be drinking mint tea in the Red City.

Alternatively, you could put your three children in the back of the car, catch an overnight ferry to Santander, drive across Spain, dump the car on a clifftop road overlooking the Mediterranean, transfer your stuff into rucksacks, catch a boat to Tangiers and then the night train to Marrakech. We did the latter.

Accounts of this land-and-sea mission to Africa draw sharply different responses from friends: the split is roughly 50-50 between those who say 'wow' and those who conclude simply 'you must be mad.'

Marrakech has always been high on my list of target holiday destinations. The Lonely Planet guide to Morocco has sat forlornly on the bookshelf for about 14 years, a reminder of a planned trip that was abruptly cancelled with news of the imminent birth of our first ……………..

http://www.bdlive.co.za/life/travel/2013/07/04/travel-marrakech-the-hard-way
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The African Development Bank (AfDB) has granted to Morocco a loan and two grants totaling € 116.68 million (1.308 billion dirhams) and intended to finance projects for training, employment and technical assistance.
According to AfDB, the loan will be used to finance support for training-job adequacy program while the two donations which amount respectively €344,000 (4 million DH) and € 335,200 (3.75 million DH) will support technical assistance projects.

AfDB is Morocco’s first development partner with investment of almost 10 billion euro and a portfolio of assets including around € 2.7 billion.
http://en.starafrica.com/news/afdb-gives-e116-5mn-loan-and-grants-to-morocco.html
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The deposing of former President Mohammed Morsi by the Egyptian army is not the only event from recent weeks that Morocco should draw lessons from. From Sao Paulo to Istanbul, the world has turned into a large sounding board where populations express themselves in a more vivid and demanding way than ever. Here are three lessons that Morocco must ponder, which are not necessarily reassuring.

While it was a military coup for some and a people's revolution for others, the ouster of the Egyptian president, who was elected a year ago, has already been the subject of extensive media coverage. A relatively rare case within the sphere of our foreign policy, the matter itself divided the Moroccan political class. Indeed, the sovereign power hastened to congratulate Morsi’s successor, thus becoming the first political leader of the Maghreb region to acknowledge Adly Mansour’s swift and unexpected accession to the presidency. “As you are ensuring the temporary presidency of Egypt, during this delicate and decisive transition period in the history of your country, we express to you our heartfelt congratulations, and pray that God will give you success and guide your way in this important mission,” wrote King Mohammed VI in a congratulatory message sent to the new Egyptian president.

Yet the indirect support shown by the king to the coup staged by the Egyptian army did not seem to appeal to everyone, and especially not to our Islamists, regardless of their political stripes. Moreover, Minister of State Abdellah Baha, Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane’s right-hand man, expressed an opinion significantly divergent from that of official diplomacy, describing the ouster of Morsi as a “coup against democratic legitimacy.” As for Mohamed al-Hamdaoui, head of the Movement for Unity and Reform (MUR), the ideological wing of the Justice and Development Party (JDP), he believes that the ouster of the elected Egyptian president is linked to the refusal by “corrupt and despotic forces and lobbies to accept a reform plan drawing its legitimacy from the polls.” Furthermore, Fatallah Arsalane, spokesman for Al-Adl wal Ihsane, expressed his full support of this opinion, speaking of a “military coup in civilian disguise.”

Retaining another approach but with the same apparent interest in the Egyptian case, the secretary-general of the Istiqlal Party could not help but make his voice heard, expressing his opinion targeting especially his current opponent Benkirane. At a political rally in Bouarfa, Hamid Chabat called on the head of the government to “draw lessons from Morsi’s fall,” recalling that Benkirane had a common program and personal ties with the deposed Egyptian president…………..

Read more: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/07/morocco-lessons-egypt-turkey-protests.html#ixzz2aRhvlOMh
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Adoption Law Causes Pain and Suffering

Morocco's new restrictive adoption laws are causing pain and suffering, not only for the children, but also to the parents waiting to give the children a family and a home.  To make matters worse the number of children awaiting adoption is increasing every day and many of the orphanages are struggling to cope.

Monica Díaz first met her adopted son Abdallatif in an orphanage in Rabat when he was not even a month old, and now,  nearly two years on, new adoption laws in Morocco mean she hasn't been able to take him back home with her to the Spanish region of Catalonia.

"They've asked us to be patient, but it’s been nearly 22 months of suffering," she told Catalan daily La Vanguardia. Monica, who is self-employed and used to pay Abdallatif regular visits in the early stages of the adoption, has now had to move to Rabat to ensure her son is not taken away from her. Along with 50 other families, she is waiting for a signature on her son’s passport which will allow him to leave Morocco.

What was once a relatively straight-forward adoption procedure has been hindered by a change of government in the North African country. Abdelilah Benkirane's moderate Islamist Justice and Development Party, which has ruled since late 2011, introduced a new law which prevents non-residents from adopting Moroccan children.

"They don’t want to sign my son’s leaving permit," Maribel, a Basque woman who shares a flat with Mónica in Rabat, told La Vanguardia.

The more than 20 Spanish families living in Rabat who find themselves in the same “desperate situation” are in regular talks with the Spanish Embassy in Morocco to ensure the new law isn't applied retroactively.

"We're not going to abandon our children, as desperate as we may be," Maribel explains.

Adoptions in Morocco take the form of Kafala, by which the adoptive parent is seen more as a guardian and children keep their Muslim names to guarantee they don't forget their roots or religion. In most cases Kafala is restricted to Muslims or converts to Islam. 

Hopefully during this month of Ramadan, saner heads will prevail and Moroccan orphans can once again find homes and happiness.
http://www.moroccoboard.com/our-events/5902-morocco-adoption-law-causes-pain-and-suffering ##########################################################

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