FOM Newsletter December 2003
Morocco Week in Review 
December 13  2003

US Senate Confirms Riley as Ambassador to Morocco
WASHINGTON, Dec.12

The US senate confirmed in a hearing held this week, Thomas Riley as US ambassador to Morocco, in replacement of Margaret Tutwiler who was nominated under-secretary for public diplomacy.

Riley, whose nomination to the post in Morocco was announced last October 6, had welcomed in a previous hearing of the Senate foreign relations committee the political, economic and social reforms undertaken "with courage" by Morocco, citing "the successful local elections" held on September 12 in the kingdom as well the reform of the family code -announced by H.M King Mohammed VI last October 10- that gives more rights to women, and which he described as "a major and revolutionary law for the rights of women and children".

The US diplomat who had served as CEO of several enterprises in his country also vowed to "fully support efforts by the Moroccan government to work closely with other parties in the region and with the UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy (James Baker) to the Sahara, to find a lasting solution that can guarantee peace and prosperity" for the region. The US diplomat was referring to Algeria and to the Algeria-backed separatist movement "Polisario" claiming independence of the Sahara, a former Spanish colony retrieved by Morocco in 1975 under the Madrid Accords. http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco - US free trade talks hit deadlock
Dec 11, 2003 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX)

Free trade negotiations between Morocco and the United States broke down this week over disagreements on access to US wheat, beef and poultry. Both sides hoped to finalize a free trade agreement (FTA) by the year's end. US and Moroccan negotiators ended their latest round of free trade talks Monday, December 8, 2003, without reaching an agreement, a spokesman fro the Office of the US Trade Representative told DTN. The negotiators are scheduled to meet again in January 2004. "We are in the final lap," said the spokesman.

The United States seeks to liberalize trade with Morocco through multilateral, regional and bilateral initiatives. Announced by US President Bush and King Mohamed VI in 2002, the negotiations for a US-Morocco FTA are a central element of this strategy. Negotiations commenced in January 2003 in Washington, DC. Three subsequent rounds has yielded significant progress toward a comprehensive agreement that will cover non-agricultural and agricultural goods and government procurement, liberalize services and strengthen investment, intellectual property rights, labor and environmental protections. - (menareport.com) By Mena Report Reporters (C) 2003 Albawaba.com, All rights reserved.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=345w2073&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
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US/Morocco Talks Break Down
(12/10/2003) WASHINGTON (DTN)

Negotiations between the United States and Morocco broke down Monday over the issues of access for U.S. wheat, beef and poultry, Capitol Hill sources told DTN.
A spokesman for the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative confirmed that U.S. and Moroccan negotiators ended their latest round of free trade talks Monday without reaching agreement. The USTR spokesman said negotiations began in January 2003 and both countries had hoped to complete the round in December. The negotiators will meet again in January 2004. "We are in the final lap," the spokesman said.
http://www.hpj.com/dtnnewstable.cfm?type=story&sid=10560
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Moroccan Premier Upbeat FTA with US to Be Signed by April.
MARRAKESH, Dec.11

Moroccan prime minister, Driss Jettou, voiced this Thursday confidence that the free-trade agreement, currently being negotiated with the USA, will be signed by next April.

The official told MAP, following a meeting in Marrakesh with US senators Chuck Hagel (republican) and Jack Reed (Democrat), who started Wednesday a two-day visit to Morocco, concrete progress has been achieved in negotiations despite some difficulties that could be overcome through dialogue.

"The free Trade agreement with the United States will consolidate development efforts in Morocco and highlight its potentials in investment,"
Jettou noted.

Since the decision to conclude a Morocco-US FTA was first announced in April 2002, the two countries' negotiators have held six rounds of talks.

Of the Sahara question, Jettou said the senators showed understanding as to Morocco's position, recalling that Washington supports a political solution to the issue and dialogue between parties.

On his part, minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohammed Benaissa, who also met the US senators, on a tour to North Africa and Europe, said the meeting discussed security and stability in the region in addition to international questions such as the Iraqi crisis and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The minister pointed out that Rabat and Washington have convergent viewpoints concerning several issues. The US senators' visit comes after US Secretary of State Colin Powell's toured the Maghreb early this month. © MAP 2003
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Morocco farmers see danger in U.S. free trade deal
By Souhail Karam RABAT, Dec 9 (Reuters)

Moroccan farmers want a grace period of at least 15 years to upgrade their fragile but crucial agricultural sector in a free trade deal to be signed with the United States later this month. "The liberalisation of exchanges will be to the sole benefit of the United States because of the huge imbalance in powers," said a spokesman for farmers group Fenagri. "Morocco will brave without ammunition, the world's leading agricultural power," he added.

Agriculture is key for the Moroccan economy, employing 50 percent of the workforce and accounting for 14 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of around $1,400 per capita a year.

Independent studies show half of Morocco's farmers do not use fertilisers, only a fifth have selected seeds with the average acreage per tractor just 202 hectares, compared with 50 hectares as recommended by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation.

Efforts to boost productivity are hampered by the dispersal of the country's relatively small 9.0-million hectares of arable land, of which 70 percent are land parcels of less than five hectares each.

Agriculture Ministry secretary-general Hassan Benabderrazik told Reuters:"An all-out liberalisation will pose a lot of risks. Operators fear a dramatic impact on social stability and the economic activity in the country."

In an apparent response to Moroccan grievances, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said last week during a brief visit to Morocco that Washington would deal with the farm talks with sensitivity and respect the development of rural areas, which are home to 45 percent of Morocco's 31-million population.
State Senator for Montana, Max Baucus last month urged the U.S. Trade Department to drop Moroccan requests for wheat to be removed from products covered by the free trade deal.

"I cannot - and will not - support an FTA(free trade agreement) that excludes opportunities for U.S. wheat," Baucus said in remarks published on the U.S. Wheat Associates website.

ABOUT $60 MILLION EXPORTS
However, Morocco needs to get a 15-year grace period to allow time for reforms to be implemented and bear fruit, before signing any deal, according to Fenagri's spokesman.

Consisting mainly of olives and citrus fruit, Moroccan farm exports to the United States remain at a yearly average of $60 million, although they benefit already from an advantageous access in terms of tariffs.

"We don't have that much to offer to the U.S. market," the Fenagri spokesman said. "Our exports need official support...and at the same time the Americans have to take into account the huge subsidies they give to their farmers." The sixth round of FTA talks was to conclude last weekend, but business media reports said talks had to be extended because of differences over the agricultural issue.

TALKS CONTINUE
Bachir Badalla, head of parliament's agriculture committee, said the Moroccan negotiating team was giving no information on the progress of the talks. "Our main concern is that we might end up signing a compromising deal," he said. Morocco farm and foodstuff products exports reached 16.7 billion dirhams ($1.85 billion) in 2001 against imports of 15.4 billion dirhams.

Main imports are dairy products, coffee, sugar and cereals, the latter seen as the main business opportunity for U.S. farmers because of the North African country's constant dependence on imports, because of cyclical drought. "We were expecting the U.S. side to understand that they must drop the right-here, right-now approach with agriculture," a member of Morocco's negotiating team told Reuters.

"But it appears that U.S. farming lobbies are going for gold in this deal."
($1=9.028 dirhams) ((Reporting by Souhail Karam; editing by Declan Conway; Reuters Messaging: souhail.karam.reuters.com@reuters.net; +212-37 720065)) http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=1070968731nL09133292&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
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Morocco sets strategy to fight violence against women
Morocco, Culture, 12/8/2003

A new strategy to fight violence against women has been drafted in Morocco, announced, in Rabat Friday, and Moroccan secretary of state in charge of the family, solidarity and social action.

Yasmina Baddou said her department has worked out this new strategy and is setting up a center of studies, research and information on women.

The official, who was speaking at a seminar on violence against women, said that domestic violence is a problem of public health. She cited in this regard the 2002 world report on violence and health which showed women are more exposed to domestic violence.

"In societies where there are very clear inequalities between men and women, and where the roles are strictly defined, women are in particular more vulnerable to violence inflicted upon them by their partners," said Mrs.
Baddou noting the negative impact of this violence on children.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031208/2003120826.html
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H.M King Mohammed VI Chairs Ministers' Council on Family Code Reform
MARRAKECH, Dec.12

H.M King Mohammed VI chaired this Friday at the Royal Palace here a ministers council that was broadly devoted to the family code reform announced by the sovereign on October 10.

At the end of the meeting, Hassan Aourid, spokesman of the Royal Palace, said the sovereign recalled at the Council the importance of the amendments of the family code stressing that it will consolidate law, improve women conditions and establish an egalitarian and fair society.

Aourid said the sovereign highlighted that the reform proposals contain moves to endow the judicial power with executive tools through the creation of family-specialized sections in Moroccan courts.

The spokesman recalled that the reform is the illustration of H.M king's vision as it was unveiled since he ascended to the throne. He said this vision seeks to promote the situation of women, lift the injustice inflicted upon them and ward off any dissension within the Moroccan society.

Aourid also recalled that this major reform, that concerns all the components of the Moroccan family, is based upon the nation's constant principles as they are provided for in the constitution that stipulates that the state's religion is Islam, that HM the King is Amir Al Muminine (commander of the faithful), supreme representative of the nation, the guarantor of the respect of Islam and of the constitution and the protector of human rights and civil liberties.

Aourid added that the sovereign sees to the equality between men and women as regards rights and duties as it is stipulated in the Moroccan constitution that provides for attachment to the universally recognized human rights.

He pointed out that the reform initiated by the sovereign was based on an approach that favored participation of and consultation with various intellectual trends and social sensibilities.

In this context, the spokesman recalled that the sovereign, after receiving various women figures on March 5, 2001 and listening to their requests, took the initiative to set up on April 27, 2001 the royal consultative commission for the Mudawana (family code) reform that musters women and men who are specialists of Fiqh (Islamic texts interpretation), law, sociology and medicine.

The sovereign was also keen to spell out the outlines of the project in his speech, on October 10, 2003, at the opening of the parliament legislative year, highlighting the references and constant principles on which the project was founded, namely:

Not to make licit what God has forbidden nor forbid what God has made lawful,
- adherence to the objectives of Islam that seeks to promote Man, justice, equality and understanding,
- adherence to the unity of the Malekite rite and Ijtihad (jurisprudence) in order to craft a modern Mudawana that is consistent with the teachings of our sacred religion.
- The family law should not be considered as a legislation devised for women only, but as a text designed for the whole family, father, mother and children and see to it that it contributes to lifting the injustice that women endure, in addition to protecting children's rights and safeguarding men's dignity.

Based on the democratic foundations of the modernist project that the sovereign is so keen to foster and in accordance with the respect that H.M the king has for the parliamentary institution, H.M the king was also keen to refer the project to the parliament.

In order to promote an appropriate atmosphere for a smooth enforcement of the law provisions, the sovereign has addressed a letter to the justice minister stressing that supporting and enforcing the reform project is linked to the creation of a fair, modern and efficient family jurisdiction endowed with the human, material and procedural means entitling it to gather conditions of equity and impartiality, rule on cases falling under its prerogatives and enforce its decisions with the required swiftness, calling for providing the soonest these courts with adequate offices within Morocco's various tribunals.

Given the sovereign's concern to consolidate the democratic process through efficient economic institutions, he also approved two draft laws, dealing with the amendments of the statute of Bank Al-Maghrib (central bank) in order to reinforce its autonomy and prerogatives and empower it to adequately fulfill its mission in monetary policy. The second draft law defines modern and efficient mechanisms for Bank Al Maghrib to conduct its control mission over credit institutions and similar bodies and ensure their upgrading so that they meet international standards in force in similar companies in developed countries.
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm

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Morocco has 4,277 cooperatives with a $ 800 million capital
Morocco, Local, 2003

Morocco has 4,277 cooperatives, mustering 267,466 members, with an overall capital of 6.7 billion Dirhams (US$ 800 million), according to 2002 statistics released by Morocco's office of cooperation development. A total of 2,662 of Moroccan cooperatives operate in agriculture, 798 in housing and 517 in handicraft. The three sectors account for 96% of cooperatives. Women cooperatives are numbered at some 261, which represents 6% of the total number. Youth cooperatives are estimated at some 228 (5%).
http://arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/030709/2003070920.html
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Morocco projects to reforest 37,000 hectares in 2003-2004
Environment, 12/9/2003

The Moroccan high commissioner for water and forests and for desert encroachment fighting has earmarked a 275 million DH (US$ 28 million) to reforest 37,000 hectares in the 2003-2004 season. The program consists in producing some 40 million plants, of which 80% are already completed, grow 28,000 hectares of forest destined for reforestation use, 5,000 hectares of soil protection forests and 4,000 hectares of renewed forests. Under the program, 25,000 hectares of existing forests will be maintained.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031209/2003120929.html
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ADB loans Morocco EUR215 million for water distribution program
Dec 10, 2003 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX)

The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (ADB) has approved a EUR215 million loan to finance the water sector adjustment program in Morocco.
Funding of the program will be in the form of budget support with a view to accommodating measures specific to the water sector. The objective of the program is to ensure a more economical use of water as well as protection and conservation of water resources of the country.

Furthermore, the program will ensure better resource mobilization and allocation in the water sector and improve the quality of the service of the institutions in charge of water management and sanitation, stated a press release.
ADB operations in Morocco date back to 1970 and has so far contributed
EUR3.76 billion to the Arab state. The newest loan will help the Moroccan government establish new regulations for resources management, tariffs, budget allocation, public-private partnerships and intercommunity arrangements. - (menareport.com) By Mena Report Reporters http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=344w9659&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
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Morocco, British institute sign agreement on protection of roman site of Volubilis
Local, 12/9/2003

A cooperation agreement on the protection of Morocco's Roman site Volubilis (northeast of Rabat) was signed in Rabat Monday between the culture department and the Institute of Archeology of University College London (UCL). Under the 5-year agreement, the two parties will document the conservation status of the site of Volubilis, carry out emergency and pilot conservation projects according to priorities established by the joint management team, develop proposals for operations related to all existing and proposed buildings on the site and undertake archeological excavations when necessary.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031209/2003120928.html
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Morocco, Spain Sign Three Financial Cooperation Agreements
MARRAKECH, Dec. 09

Spain and Morocco signed here Tuesday three financial cooperation agreements worth 390 Million Euro at the end of the 6th high level meeting (December 8-9) co-chaired by the Moroccan and Spanish premiers.

The accords concern financial cooperation and the conversion of Morocco's debt towards Spain into investments in the private and public sectors.

Under the first agreement, a fund of 270 million Euro will be earmarked for social and economic development projects that will be carried out by Spanish companies. Another 20 million Euro will be dedicated to the purchase of Spanish goods and services to upgrade Moroccan enterprises while another sum of 10 million Euro will finance viability studies of projects of common interest.

Under the second agreement, 40 million Euro of Moroccan debts to Spain will be swapped into investments in the Moroccan private sector. The third accord concerns 50 million Euro in debts to be swapped into private investments.

Moroccan and Spanish prime ministers, respectively Driss Jettou and José Maria Aznar, were upbeat Monday over the promotion of bilateral economic relations and cooperation in various fields.

In 2003, Moroccan-Spanish trade considerably increased as it reached 1.4 billion Euro in 1st half of 2003, against 2.6 billion for the whole year of 2002. Spanish investments in 2003 represented 21.8% of foreign investments in Morocco with 79.3 million Euro, while they did not exceed 5.7 percent of investment in 2002. © MAP 2003
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm

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Morocco's Oct trade deficit up 12 pct to $4.6 bln
RABAT, Dec 10 (Reuters)

Morocco's trade deficit in October stood at 41.67 billion dirhams ($4.6 billion), up 12.5 percent from its level a year earlier, the state foreign trade regulatory said on Wednesday. Despite a 9.0 percent decline in their volume, imports rose 1.6 percent in value to 110.3 billion dirhams while exports' value shrank 4.1 percent to
68.6 billion dirhams for a 9.2 percent drop in volume, Office des Changes said in a report. The cover ratio of exports to imports stood at 62.2 percent against 65.9 percent in October 2002, it said. The decline in exports stemmed mainly from a drop in energy products and seafood exports, the office said.

Excessive fishing, mainly in southern waters of the country, has led to an unprecedented decline in mollusc stocks while a fire that ravaged last year the country's main refiner resulted in a major shortfall in exports, analysts said.
Seafood exports up to October were down by over a third in value or the equivalent of 1.85 billion dirhams ($205.9 million) while energy exports fell two-thirds or 1.5 billion dirhams, Office des Changes said.

Stronger demand from local firms nudged imports of equipment mainly machinery, semi-processed products mainly steel and medicines, the office said.
Analysts say the decline in imports volume stemmed mainly from a sharp drop in foodstuff imports, mainly cereals, after this year's bumper harvest.
The European Union is Morocco's main trade partner accounting for two-thirds its foreign trade. ((Reporting by Souhail Karam, editing by Malcolm Whittaker; Reuters Messaging: souhail.karam.reuters.com@reuters.net; +212-37
720065)) ($1=8.983 Moroccan dirhams)
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=1071060603nL10530117&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C

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Morocco signs UN Convention against corruption
MEXICO, Dec.10

Morocco has signed the United nations convention against corruption, at a ceremony held Tuesday in Merida (Gulf of Mexico). The document was signed by Mohamed Tangi, Moroccan ambassador to Canada and head of the delegation participating in the high level political conference (9-11) attended by representatives from over a hundred countries.

Morocco was among the first countries to sign this document just after the opening session of this conference, marked by the message sent to participants by UN Secretary General. In his message, Kofi Annan urged all member-states to ratify the soonest possible this convention which requires only 30 signatures to be in force.

Forty-three countries had signed the document by late Tuesday, UN legal affairs director Hans Corell said.

This convention, endorsed last October by the UN general assembly, is considered as a breakthrough, as signers agree to return assets obtained through corruption and assist each other to provide evidence, freeze bank accounts, confiscate other property and extradite suspects.

It also requires signatory countries to beef up and enforce corruption laws, and to include in their national legislation internationally recognized concepts such as money laundering and peddling of influence.

The convention also treats corruption as something more than a simple crime, as it destabilizes countries, slows development and erode democratic institutions, such as elections. Likewise, corruption is often driven by poverty that needs to be addressed globally, the convention says. © MAP 2003
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Spain, Morocco relaunch economic ties. Spain signs 390 million euro cooperation agreement with Morocco, but political differences remain.

MARRAKESH, Morocco - A visit to Morocco by Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar relaunched economic ties between the two nations Tuesday but failed to end long-running political and territorial disputes.

Important causes of friction such as disputes over fishing and off-shore oil deposits, illegal immigration and the status of the Spanish North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla were glossed over in the conclusions of the high-level meetings.

Each side stuck to its mutually opposed position on the former Spanish province of Western Sahara, which Morocco has annexed. While Morocco insists on the principle of territorial integrity, Spain supports a referendum on self-determination.
Aznar and a delegation of government ministers and businessmen, who arrived in the country Monday, appeared to have made considerable progress on the economic front, despite open hostility to the visit in some sections of the Moroccan press.
Aznar said the two sides had signed the biggest cooperation agreement in Spain's history, providing 390 million euros (476 million dollars), 270 million of which will be used to finance projects by Spanish companies. Part of the package is in the form of loans and part will be a gift.

Moroccan Finance Minister Fathallah Oualalou praised what he called Spain's "significant financial effort" towards Morocco.
Two other agreements were signed concerning employment and the reestablishment of cultural relations between the two countries. A memorandum on clandestine immigration from Morocco into Spain was agreed in principle, but not signed. Spain wants to repatriate several hundred minors who do not have proper immigration documents, but Morocco does not have the facilities to receive them.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=8110
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Spain seeks to stem illegal immigrants from Morocco
MARRAKESH, Morocco, Dec. 9

Spain's Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar ended a reconciliation visit to Morocco on Tuesday, announcing the largest financial package Madrid has granted to any nation in a bid to slow illegal immigration. The 390 million euros ($478 million) deal of soft loans and debt swaps aims to create jobs in Morocco to stem the flow of illegal immigrants to Europe.

The countries, which barely avoided a military confrontation in 2002 over a deserted Mediterranean islet, have long-standing differences over immigration.
The accord will let Morocco unload 90 million euros of its official debt with Spain, which totals some $580 million, at a discount to its face value of approximately 50 percent.

The rest would be swapped for Moroccan private and public sector investment in approved projects involving Spanish firms. ''Spain has no such agreement with any other country,'' Aznar told a news conference in Marrakesh.

In a joint declaration, the two sides pledged to strengthen their cooperation on combating the mafias who organise the flow of would-be illegal migrants to Europe.
The people smugglers have been increasingly using Moroccan beaches as embarkation points to cross the Mediterranean, or the Atlantic to the Canary Islands.
Between January and October this year, almost 16,000 would-be immigrants were intercepted from Morocco, up from 13,500 in the same 2002 period, according to Spanish figures.

A long-standing demand by Spain that it should be able to deport to Morocco illegal immigrants from other African countries who had travelled via Morocco was discussed in Marrakesh, Spanish Interior Minister Angel Acebes said. There was no announcement of any progress on this.

Last week, Moroccan authorities and the Nigerian embassy carried out what they described as an unprecedented ''voluntary repatriation'' of some 650 Nigerians stranded in Morocco.

Fishing rights for Spanish fishermen off Morocco's Atlantic coast, once a major source of discord, were not discussed, Madrid having apparently given up hopes for a revived accord.

Public investment projects involved in the debt swap will especially concern public housing and the modernisation of Moroccan businesses, the Spanish delegation said.
The bulk of the financial package was 290 million euros of soft credits for projects involving Spanish companies and for purchases of Spanish products by Moroccan companies. A 10 million euro grant for viability studies completed the total.
Copyright 2003 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters.
http://famulus.msnbc.com/FamulusIntl/reuters12-09-112109.asp?reg=EUROPE
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'Morocco is not a gateway for drug cartels'
December 09 2003 Rabat

Moroccan authorities have foiled an attempt to smuggle a record 20 tons of cannabis into the Netherlands, local media reported on Tuesday.

The official MAP news agency said the haul was discovered on Sunday behind pallets of tomato boxes in a trailer registered in France during routine checks at Tangiers port, Morocco's gateway to Europe.

The truck driver, a Moroccan, was arrested along with two guards from a factory where the cannabis was loaded. An intermediary was also arrested, MAP said. It did not identify the detainees.

Almost 70 percent of the cannabis circulating in Europe comes from Morocco.
In recent years, the North African country has also become an alternative route to Europe for hard drugs, such as cocaine, as mainly Colombian drug cartels seek to avoid high surveillance in European ports.

Spanish veterinary services in the southern port of Algeciras last week discovered 400kg of cocaine hidden in a Moroccan truck carrying frozen fish to Europe. The drug had a street value of $44-million (about R300-million).

In addition to trucks, smugglers use high-speed boats to take drugs to Spanish shores, which lie less than 16km north of Morocco, across the Strait of Gibraltar.

The biggest haul of cannabis before Sunday's catch was of 19 tons about two years ago.
http://www.itechnology.co.za/index.php?click_id=68&art_id=qw1070974081237B265&set_id=1
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Morocco pleads for digital solidarity pact at World Summit on Information Society
Regional-Morocco, Economics, 12/11/2003

Morocco has pleaded for a "Digital Solidarity Pact" at the opening session, in Geneva Wednesday, of the first World Summit on Information Society (WSIS). Moroccan communication minister and government spokesman, Nabil Abdallah told the summit that this pact is the best means to achieve "a world society of communication and information, respectful of the spirit of democracy, and cultural and linguistic diversity."

The minister called for a "strong political will" and for the participation of all UN specialised institutions, social and economic development funds, as well as the contribution of developed countries, private sector and the civil society to reach such an objective. He insisted in this regard on the adoption of what he called a digital solidarity pact in favour of those countries which lag behind, a pact, he said, that should be based on mutual assistance between developed and developing countries to bridge the digital gap. "We are convinced that should our summit fail to craft adequate solution to this issue, the development crisis would be more profound in several countries," he warned.

Benabdallah recalled the different political, social and economic reforms in Morocco, in particular the liberalization in 1997 of the communication sector, now open to foreign investments.

Delegates from more than 170 countries, including some 50 presidents and heads of government are attending the three-day summit which aims to bridge the rich-poor digital divide amid growing concern from the developing countries and civil society about its outcome. The summit is expected to come up with solutions to issues on internet governance and a global plan to ensure everyone's access to IT.

"Let us embrace these new technologies, building up an open, empowering information society is a social, economic and ultimately political challenge," United-Nations secretary- General Kofi Annan told world leaders at the inaugural ceremony.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031211/2003121123.html
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Journalists honoured by watchdog
From correspondents in Paris, December 11, 2003

A jailed Moroccan journalist on a hunger strike, a Haitian radio director forced to flee home and a Zimbabwe newspaper ordered shut down were all honoured yesterday with prizes for defending freedom of the press.

The press watchdog group Reporters Without Borders honored Ali Lmrabet, serving a three-year prison term for criticizing the king of Morocco, with its 2003 prize.
Lmrabet, owner and editor of two satirical weeklies, was convicted in May for insulting King Mohammed VI and attacking the monarchy in articles and cartoons. His French-language Demain and its Arabic-language sister weekly Douman were ordered closed. Lmrabet was hospitalized during a hunger strike in the spring. He began a new hunger strike Nov 30, Reporters Without Borders said.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,8130333%255E1702,00.html

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