US President Praises King's Reforms of Family Law
Association SOS hepatitis sees the light in Casablanca
French NGO grants equipment for Moroccan handicapped persons
Morocco 2003 olive oil output to jump to 80,000 T
Moroccan annual inflation rises to 2.5 pct in August
Morocco announces pilot industry data network
Morocco-US Free Trade Talks: Progress But Issues in Agriculture Remain.
Belgium Donates 4.3 million Euro to Development Projects in Southern Morocco
Morocco Expects 3 Percent GDP Growth (Minister) Textile Sector To Lose 18% In Production.
Government examines practical measures for new family law enforcement
Morocco to stage all-out information campaign on family code reforms
Women activists praise deep reforms in family law
Morocco bets on modernity and development, says ambassador
Justice minister dedicates first family law section
Women grateful to Moroccan king for family law reform
High Time for Women in Morocco
Moroccan Citrus Fruits Producers Expect 2.4% Drop in Exports
Fighting for the Fair
Morocco finds recipe for cash in expatriates
Morocco aims to increase tourism by 10 percent Investment will total $7.7 billion
Morocco sets $17.9 bln 04' budget, wage bill up 2004
Finance Law: Morocco Earmarks $100 Mln for Social Sector
Meteorite of a Football Size Discovered in Morocco
EU Welcomes Moroccan Family Code Reform
Morocco adopts set of measures to reform economy, promote investments
Two Moroccan directors prized at Montréal's new cinema, new media festival
Morocco calls for a quota system for immigration
In Morocco, medieval meets modern
After struggle, new equality for Moroccan women
Bodies for booty: deal that keeps smugglers in business
A star turn in Morocco Movies in Morocco, The 3rd Marrakech International Film Festival
Moroccan Nights Restaurant & Lounge Pulsates With Couscous and Belly Dancers

US President Praises King's Reforms of Family Law

RABAT, Oct.24 - U.S. president, George W. Bush, praised the "important reforms of Moroccan family law to advance the rights of women" announced on Oct.10 by H.M King Mohammed VI. This came in a message sent to the sovereign by the US president who applauds H.M. the king's "responsible and courageous leadership" and stresses that "these reforms can help unleash the full potential of all of your citizens and add to the prosperity and stability of Morocco and the region".

Here follows the full text of the message:" Your Majesty,I read of your recent speech before parliament in which you proposed several important reforms of Moroccan family law to advance the rights of women. These reforms can help unleash the full potential of all of your citizens and add to the prosperity and stability of Morocco and the region. I am grateful for your responsible and courageous leadership and look forward to working together to resolve long-standing conflicts in North Africa and the Middle East". MAP 2003

http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm

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Association SOS hepatitis sees the light in Casablanca

Health, 10/24/2003

An association dubbed "SOS Hepatitis" has seen the light in Casablanca recently, to help slash the prevalence of Hepatitis C in Morocco where an estimated 300,000 persons are infected by the virus.It also plans to proclaim a national day for awareness of Hepatitis C and means to curb it through prevention http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031024/2003102416.html

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French NGO grants equipment for Moroccan handicapped persons

Local, 10/22/2003

The French Association "Human Hora" extended to the local association "Idmaj" equipment for the integration of handicapped persons. The donation, 70 wheelchairs, two buses equipped to carry disabled persons and 16 computers, was handed here Monday by president of Human Hora, Aline Seignardie, to the association. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031022/2003102219.html

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Morocco 2003 olive oil output to jump to 80,000 T

RABAT, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Morocco's olive oil output this year is set to reach 80,000 tonnes, up 78 percent from the previous campaign due mainly to a bumper olive harvest, a senior Agriculture Ministry official said on Friday. "The olive harvest rose 77.8 percent this year to 800,000 tonnes because of generous rain. Olive oil production will rise from 45,000 tonnes to 80,000 tonnes in the 12 months starting from September 2003," the official told Reuters. He said Morocco's annual olive oil needs are estimated at 350,000 tonnes. "We will need to import olive oil but our exports of plain olives will rise," he said, declining to give forecast for olive oil imports and olive exports. He noted, however, that Morocco exports an average 65,000 tonnes of tinned olive each year. Morocco, once home to one of the largest olive groves in the Mediterranean basin, has seen its olive oil production dwindling over the past three decades due mainly to massive deforestation and drought. Olive trees cover a total 580,000 hectares in Morocco, the official said. To take advantage of olive oil's growing popularity with European households, the ministry has launched an ambitious programme aimed at planting 25,000 olive trees each year. But the programme has so far met only 40 percent of its target, the official said. ((Reporting by Souhail Karam; editing by Allan Seccombe; Reuters Messaging: souhail.karam.reuters.com@reuters.net; +212-37 720065)) http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=1067012991nL2431186&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C

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Moroccan annual inflation rises to 2.5 pct in August

RABAT, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Moroccan consumer prices rose 1.0 percent in August to stand 2.5 percent higher than a year earlier, marking the biggest year-on-year increase so far in 2003, Statistics Directorate data showed on Wednesday. The August month-on-month increase in the consumer price index "is due to foodstuff products, whose index rose 2.2 percent. Non-foodstuff products' index inched up 0.1 percent," the directorate said. The government has forecast inflation for 2003 at 2.0 percent.

The latest increase pushed the overall level of prices in the first eight months of the year just 0.2 percent above the overall level in the corresponding period of 2002. Analysts said the rise in foodstuff prices stemmed mainly from higher consumption during the summer, reflecting higher tourist arrivals and annual visits by over 1.5 million Moroccan expatriates. "August year-to-year CPI performance should not be worrisome as inflation for the first eight months remains low," a financial analyst said. "The government's 2.0 percent forecast for 2003 remains reachable." Another analyst said the CPI would continue to rise in the last quarter. "We've already seen sharp rises in foodstuff prices, mainly fresh products and cereals ahead of Ramadan," he said.

The Muslim fasting month of Ramadan is due to start in Morocco early next week. The period leading up to it and after usually sees higher demand and a rise in prices. "The worst case scenario for the CPI trend in the remaining months of 2003 shows we won't go beyond the 2.0 percent forecast," the analyst said. (Reporting by Souhail Karam; Reuters Messaging: souhail.karam.reuters.com@reuters.net; +212-37 720065; editing by David Christian-Edwards). http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=1066839328nL22214833&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C

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Morocco announces pilot industry data network

Economics, 10/22/2003

A Moroccan official said Morocco is initiating a pilot project in Africa to set up a data base of industrial information to supply real-time data to public and private economic operators. Rachid Talbi Alami, trade, industry and telecom minister, who is participating in a conference on "information technologies and trade facilities in the Arab world," held in the Syrian capital this Oct.20-21 told MAP the operation which is co-sponsored by the United Nations Organization for industrial development, is meant to highlight Moroccan industrial assets. He added that Morocco is drafting an e-trade law to protect data confidentiality and electronic signature besides appointing a body of data certification. He further stressed that in Morocco, where people are still reluctant to use the new IT technologies, several moves are projected to fight the "digital illiteracy," including providing self-service Internet access in public locations, in addition to training programs, citing in this regard, a radio station that will be broadcasting via satellite education programs destined to rural areas. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031022/2003102221.html

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Morocco-US Free Trade Talks: Progress But Issues in Agriculture Remain.

Moroccan and American trade negotiators met last week in Rabat for a fifth round of talks on a U.S.-Moroccan free trade agreement (FTA). This round, which ended Thursday, was a critical phase in the process of removing trade barriers between the two countries, because both George W. Bush and King Mohammed announced earlier that an agreement will have to be reached by December this year. Given the deadline, the challenge for the negotiators is to come to common agreements rather quickly.

Among those involved in the negotiations are Catherine Novelli, the Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and the Mediterranean and Taieb Fassi Fihri, the Moroccan foreign minister and cooperation. But in a latest move, Prime Minister Driss Jettou decided to give a role to himself so as to clarify the position of Morocco. Last week PM Jettou called for a ministerial meeting precisely to discuss the Moroccan position on issues that have not been solved. This is also because any decision made by negotiators will have to be approved by PM Jettou, who is ultimately responsible for the state budget.

The primary hurdle facing trade negotiators is their respective positions on the value-added tax (TVA) on textile and garment products, on one hand, and information technology on the other. The issue from the Moroccan side is defined as an asymmetric method of applying the tax on those products. Sources within the prime ministry say Jettou's position has been clear. He allowed Moroccan negotiators to given as much to their American counterparts in areas he considered non strategic, such as the telecom sector and fisheries, but other sectors have to be negotiated also to benefit Morocco.

The biggest barrier remains the agricultural sector. According to sources in Rabat, the American negotiators proposed three options with three product groups. List A concerns cereals, red and white meats, and leguminous plants, in a list that is said to have "zero option." This "zero option" note means that these markets must be liberalized in priority and cannot be subject of gradual of removal of trade barriers. But for some officials the liberlization of wheat and meat prices "will undoubtedly axacerbate pauverty in Morocco, and so "option zero" will have a devastating impact, and therefore must be rejected." So for the time being, wheat has been excluded from the talks until both parties can consult with their top leadership on the next move. What Morocco is looking for appears to be a progressive dismantling of tarrifs, with targeted prices by manipulating the level of taxes along the way. This progressive dismantling would occure, according to Moroccan officials, in parallel with the implementation of reforms aimed at guaranteeing some safety to the Moroccan agricultural sector. They also apply this logic to the red and white meat sector, which they hope to exclude from the talks at present. http://www.north-africa.com/one.htm.

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Belgium Donates 4.3 million Euro to Development Projects in Southern Morocco

RABAT, Oct.20- Belgium has donated Morocco 4.3 million Euros to help finance four development projects in southern Morocco. A donation of 696,141 Euro will go to the second phase of soil preservation in areas irrigated by small and medium-sized equipment in the southern region of Tiznit. The second project, to which Belgium is contributing 1.17 million Euro, seeks to improve irrigation water management and integrated rural development in the region of Draa. Belgium is also financing with 776,306 Euro a training program for technicians specialized in repairing engine-operated vehicles while under the last convention signed by Belgium. Some 1.7 million Euro will go to a project to improve drinking water supply in five small localities. Since last January, Morocco and Belgium have signed eleven conventions, worth 13 million Euro. © MAP 2003 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm

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Morocco Expects 3 Percent GDP Growth (Minister)

Rabat, Oct 21 - Morocco is expecting a 3% growth of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), announced here Tuesday Moroccan minister of Finance and Privatization. Fathallah Oualalou, who was presenting the 2004 Finance Bill to the parliament for discussion, said forecasts are based on oil price of 25 dollars per barrel and an exchange rate of $ 1.17 for one Euro. The budget, amounting to 283.24 billion Dirhams (one US$ equals 9.3 DH), also expects a 2 % inflation rate, a 3% budget deficit and a 1% surplus in the balance of payment. Receipts, consisting mainly of direct, indirect and assimilated taxes and customs duties, are scheduled to reach 141.37 billion DH, increasing by 3.36% compared to the previous finance bill.

Meanwhile, expenses consisting of operating costs, investments and public debt will increase by 1.66% to reach 141.8 billion DH. The salary load that accounts for 13% of the GDP exceeds that of several countries with the same level, the minister noted announcing that recruitment will be limited to 7,000 new jobs that will be mainly earmarked to social sectors while expenses for equipment will be raised by 6.11% (14.23 billion DH).  A total of 70 billion DH will go to investments in all fields, with a special focus on basic facilities." © MAP 2003 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm

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Textile Sector To Lose 18% In Production.

MARRAKESH: Morocco's textile sector risks a 18% production fall, a 30% regress in exports and the loss of 40,000 jobs by 2010 if trade liberalization hazards are not addressed adequately. The diagnosis was made this Friday by chairman of the Moroccan association of textile and apparel industries (AMITH), Salaheddine Mezouar, in the presence of 600 professionals and public and private partners meeting in Marrakesh.

The professional said Morocco, like other textile producing countries should move quickly to address problems entailed by trade liberalization. A study conducted by international experts on the Moroccan textile industry also emphasizes the need for Morocco to face harsh competition caused by customs tariffs dismantling and China's membership in the World Trade Organization. Despite its numerous assets, Morocco ought to tap on the projected free trade agreement with the USA and modernize its domestic distribution network, the experts said. Activating staff upgrade, technical and creative skills promotion and competence development in various branches of textile and garment industry were other recommendations made by the study.

Prime minister, Driss Jettou, who opened the conference said the sector is an essential element in Moroccan economy, as it comprises 1,600 industrial units, generates 10 billion DH of added value (around US$ 1 billion), provides jobs to some 200,000 persons and contributes 36% to the country's exports. Jettou also expressed the government's support to the professionals' drives to renovate and improve the performance, flexibility, reactivity and adaptability of the sector. The government is also keen to spare no effort to build on Morocco's asset of proximity to Europe and will carry on its action to reduce energy costs to reach the level of costs practiced in competitor south Mediterranean countries, Jettou vowed.

He also surveyed measures taken so far to promote the sector, including fiscal incentives, the creation of a financial restructuring fund(FORTEX), supporting the upgrading of textile companies' competitiveness and setting forth financial tools by expanding foreign credit lines for all Moroccan Banks. Source: Agencies October 20, 2003 http://www.bharattextile.com/newsitems/1985971

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Government examines practical measures for new family law enforcement

Politics, 10/24/2003

The weekly Moroccan government meeting held this Thursday looked into the draft family code that was announced on Oct.10 by King Mohammed VI at the opening of the parliament's fall session. The government looked into the project of creating a family solidarity fund, provided for by the new law, and decided to carry on debates. They also insisted on the vital importance of this Fund in consolidating Moroccan family, fighting various forms of social exclusion of women and children, preserving their rights and consolidating social solidarity.

The government also adopted a draft law that seeks to adapt the civil procedure code to the new family law, a dahir on the organization of the judiciary system in order to create family sections at first instance courts. After hearing presentations on the subject by justice minister, Mohamed Bouzoubaa, and minister of Habous (endowments) and Islamic Affairs, Ahmed Taoufiq, the government welcomed the amendments and legal novelties contained in the new law. The reform brought to the family code is likely to consolidate the foundations of family stability and social balance, reinforce ongoing mutations in human rights practices and guarantee justice in the country.

The government also considers the new Mudawana as a pioneer societal project and a methodological approach that matches Morocco's fundamental values with modernization requirements. The sovereign announced major reforms to the outdated Mudawana (family code), including raising marriage age for women from 15 to 18, setting stringent conditions that make polygamy almost impossible, and places the family under the joint responsibility of spouses. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031024/2003102418.html

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Morocco to stage all-out information campaign on family code reforms

Politics, 10/18/2003

The Moroccan government is to stage an all-out campaign to explain to the public the nature of the amendments brought to the "Mudawana (Family Code)" announced last Friday by King Mohammed VI at the opening of the Parliament fall. The awareness campaign will be conducted in two steps, announced Moroccan minister of Habous (endowments) and Islamic affairs, Ahmed Taoufiq, during a cabinet meeting held here Thursday.

The first step, prior to the adoption of this new Code by the parliament, will be carried out by Ulemas (Muslim theologians) who will explain the effort of Fiqh's (Islamic Law) interpretation implied by the proposed reforms, through their participation in debates including in the media. The second step consists in associating qualified preachers to this process once the draft Code is adopted by the parliament. They will explain to the public in mosques the positive contribution of this Code to the stability and serenity of the society, bearing in mind the guarantees offered by the Muslim religion.

Announcing this campaign at a news conference, Moroccan minister of communication and spokesman for the government, Nabil Abdallah, said the government will see to it that these important reforms get the necessary means. These reforms, welcomed as "revolutionary" both inside and outside Morocco, places the family under husband and wife's joint responsibility, sets stringent conditions that makes polygamy almost impossible, reorganizes divorce procedures and raises marriage age for women from 15 to 18.

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031018/2003101812.html

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Women activists praise deep reforms in family law

Politics, 10/20/2003

A Moroccan association grouping women activists from the main political parties hailed the reform proposals made last week by King Mohammed VI as "deep" reforms that "meet legitimate aspirations of Moroccan women and constraints of social evolution and democratic construction while being in total harmony with the Sharia (Islamic law)." The national coordination committee of women members of political parties praised, in a statement released Friday, the reforms as "a step forward in the process of promoting women rights and implementing a democratic and modern societal project." The association also expects the reforms to lift the injustice and discrimination suffered by women as a result of provisions of the present law and to secure to women their dignity and basic rights. The reforms were also seen as important factors for guaranteeing the balance, solidarity and stability of families.

While these reforms are confirming Islamic holy values and universal principles of human rights, they also contribute to portray a positive image about the Muslim religion which has always dignified human and established equality. The association says it is ready to contribute to promote awareness in the Moroccan society of the importance of the new law provisions and of the "efficient and fair" solutions they will bring to problems facing Moroccan families.

King Mohammed VI announced at the opening of the parliament's fall session major reforms to an outdated family law (Mudawana). The reforms broadly welcomed as revolutionary place the family under the joined responsibility of the wife and husband, set stringent conditions that make polygamy almost impossible, re-organize divorce procedures and raise marriage age for women from 15 to 18. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031020/2003102015.html

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Morocco bets on modernity and development, says ambassador

Politics, 10/20/2003

Morocco is convinced that by lifting the juridical discriminations which were hampering women emancipation, it is betting on modernity, development and the right leadership, said, in New York Friday, Morocco's Ambassador to the United Nations. Addressing the 3rd Committee of the UN General Assembly,(in charge of social, cultural and humanitarian issues), which was discussing the situation of women around the world, Mohamed Bennouna underlined Morocco's commitment to women emancipation that will allow them win back their dignity and rights.

He mentioned in this regard the latest reform of the "Mudawana" (Family Code) announced last week by King Mohammed VI at the opening of the parliament after the summer recess. The new Family Code, which is conforming to precepts of Islam and respectful of the basic human rights, guarantees equality of rights and duties of the two spouses and strengthen family ties, said the Moroccan diplomat. This reform, welcomed as "revolutionary" by the Moroccan society and by the international media, places the family under the joint responsibility of the husband and wife, sets stringent conditions that make polygamy almost impossible, reorganizes divorce procedures and raises marriage age for women from 15 to 18. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031020/2003102013.html

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Justice minister dedicates first family law section

Politics, 10/18/2003

Justice minister, Mohammed Bouzoubaa, dedicated in Casablanca on Friday the first family law section in a Casablanca first instance tribunal. The section, said the minister is the first step in implementing instructions issued by king Mohammed VI to set forth reforms to the family law. Bouzoubaa said similar sections will be set up in all Moroccan tribunals to guarantee fairness and equity in handling families cases. The sovereign issued in a letter to the justice minister orders to set up family justice facilities in Moroccan courts, as a provisional measure pending the announcement of a decision on this project. The sovereign further instructed the minister to ensure the new judicial system staff training and to make proposals for appointing a committee of experts to draft a practical guidebook on relevant provisions and rules pertaining to the family judicial system, to serve as a single source of reference. The court president told MAP reforms introduced in the family law are based on daily facts and figures. The number of cases involving polygamy decreased from 42 in 2002 to 30 in 2003, early marriage (2 cases in 2003 against 10 in 2002) and marriages between Moroccans and foreigners (97 cases against 147 last year). The creation of special jurisdiction to handle family disputes was among the reforms announced last Friday by the sovereign in his landmark speech opening the parliament's fall session.

http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031018/2003101802.html

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Women grateful to Moroccan king for family law reform

Politics, 10/21/2003

A group of women figures representing women members of political parties, non-governmental organizations active in women and family issues and professional associations, expressed gratefulness to King Mohammed VI for "the particular interest" granted by the sovereign to the promotion of Moroccan women's rights.

The message of "faithfulness, loyalty and gratefulness" was sent to the sovereign following a recent meeting with royal advisor, Zoulikha Nasri, on Oct.10 after the king announced deep amendments to the law regulating marriage, divorce and other family matters. The message praises the king's "resolve to guarantee the implementation" of the reform described as "a historic asset that rehabilitates women's rights, particularly the right to dignity, equality and protection, preserves children rights and guarantee the coherence, balance and stability of family, and foremost of the entire Moroccan society."

The signatories who voiced appreciation of the royal speech, on the opening of the parliament's fall session said it was a source of "joy for women, children and all society members" and "a landmark initiative for the materialization of the modernist and democratic society project undertaken by the sovereign in accordance with the lofty values of the Muslim religion and universal principles of human rights." Women also renew mobilization with the sovereign to inform on the comprehensive and fundamental reforms that "consolidate the king's strategic choices and meet the Moroccan people and women's expectations to equality, justice and equity."

The king has unveiled on October 10 reforms to the family law that were broadly welcomed both in Morocco and abroad as revolutionary. The amendments' highlights place families under the joint responsibility of the two spouses, set stringent conditions that make polygamy almost impossible, raises women marriage age from 15 to 18 and restructures divorce and marriage provisions. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031021/2003102118.html

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High Time for Women in Morocco

By Gregg Wallace

Women in Morocco are to win greater marriage and divorce rights under reforms that King Muhammad says will bring their status in line with the spirit of the Quran's teachings. The minimum age for women to marry is to be raised from 15 to 18, to equal that of men, and women will get property rights in the marriage. Women will now be able to divorce their husbands, rather than just the other way round, and unlike previous conditions, divorce will need a judge's approval. Muslim men will still be able to marry up to four wives, but for the first time polygamy will also need a judge's authorization, in addition to the prior consent of the man's existing wives and wife-to-be. The King, who is the highest religious authority in Morocco, quoted The Prophet to justify his plans: "Make husband and wife jointly responsible for the family in keeping with the words of my ancestor the Prophet (Muhammad, peace be unto him), 'Only an honorable man will honor them (women) and only an ignoble man will humble them'." Female students at Howard advocate that the laws are unnecessarily belated.

Mahkada Taylor, sophomore Physics major, thinks that, "Despite the social and religious implications of such a change, the rights of the women must be the primary concern. I think that this reform is long overdue." Robin Williams, a senior Systems and Computer Science major, says that she is "glad to hear that some of the women in Eastern societies are getting equal treatment, especially in an Islamic society. From what I hear, most of these women live in silent fear everyday. These new laws will probably lead to other such countries giving women equal rights." The new texts, which parliament is expected to approve, also guarantee for the first time the principle of sharing between husband and wife of property acquired during marriage. After succeeding his father King Hassan in 1999, the now 40-year-old king said he was willing to overhaul the Moudawana, or family law. But when similar reforms were vaunted in 2000, Islamists organised a massive demonstration against the plan in Casablanca, attended by an estimated 200,000 marchers. Feminists staged a counter march in the Moroccan capital, Rabat, which drew nearly as many participants. Symbolically, King Muhammad allowed pictures of his fiancée to be published for the first time in Moroccan history. He also initiated a quota system in last year's general elections guaranteeing 30 seats for women in the 325-member lower house of parliament. http://www.thehilltoponline.com/news/533854.html

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Moroccan Citrus Fruits Producers Expect 2.4% Drop in Exports

RABAT, Oct.21 - The Association of Moroccan Citrus Fruits Producers (ASPAM) is expecting a 2.4% drop in citrus fruits exports for the 2003-2004 season, from 483,000 tons in 2002-2003 to 471,000 tons . ASPAM says in a release Moroccan output of citrus fruits for the 2003-2004 will also decrease by 11% from 1.13 million tons in 2002-2003 to 1.16 million tons in the present campaign. The producers ascribe the production drop to early summer and high temperatures that started as early as May, affecting the highly expected positive crops as a result of rains in spring 2003. However, the association announces good quality of the fruits, a factor that alleviates the effect of low production on exports. Producers say they will be focusing more efforts on east European countries, North America, Scandinavian countries and the Middle East. The European Union countries, traditional markets of Moroccan citrus fruits, account for 60% of Moroccan citrus fruits exports. MAP 2003 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm

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Fighting for the Fair

Morocco, October-4 Volume 21. 20.10.2003

The new parliamentary session in Morocco got off to a dramatic start this year, with King Mohamed VI using his opening speech to push reform of the Moudawana (the Family or Personal Code) to the top of the political agenda. Yet, while this piece of legislation now seems ordained, putting it into practice may prove a trickier proposition.  The King used the final report of the Moudawana reform commission, elaborated during the past year, as his reference. Should the new laws be passed, this would represent a major step forward in improving women's status in Morocco.  Many Moroccans seemed relieved at the King's speech too - particularly when recollecting the crisis that confronted the previous attempt at reform.

Back in 2000, reform of the Moudawana seemed to end up on indefinite hold, after the reform project, led by Said Saudi, was hijacked by demonstrations by Islamist parties in March 2000. An unprecedented coalition of the main legal (Al Adler we Tania, PJD) and illegal (Al Adel wall Insane, PJB) Islamist parties found common cause in opposition to the reform and with a 1m-strong show of force in Casablanca overwhelmed a pro-reform march in Rabat. Careful of alienating a rising Islamic political presence, and unwilling to force through a reform which looked likely to prove socially destabilising, the project was filed away for more propitious times.

The core problematic - the poor and institutionally inferior and discriminated status of women - was in many senses twisted for political ends. The Islamist parties were not keen to see the problem resolved by the leftist parties (Saadi was in fact a member of the ex-communist PPS, and the government was led by the socialist USFP's Abderrahmane Youssoufi), and mobilised against the modernist agenda for its lack of sensitivity to Islam.

So, the fundamental problem is religious sensibilities. Any reform that targets family relations is dealing directly with Islam, as it is largely concerned with a moral, personal code of conduct. This, many argue, is why the subject is so sensitive - there are conservatives who are ready to use and abuse their religion to maintain the present Moudawana as a religiously validated code. There are equally Muslims who fight for the code to be changed and see it as at the core of social injustice.

Those opposed to the reform call it an imposition of Western values, lumping it together with other secularist attempts to undermine Morocco's society. Laicite, as the French call it, has a strong resonance in Morocco - the modern French political system, which clearly splits religion from politics, is alternately scorned or aspired to by Moroccans.

The Islamic opponents' message, put simply, is this - the West, with a proliferation of divorces, single parenthood, and nuclear families, should not be telling us how to conduct our family life. The more sophisticated critics of Western-style feminism point to strong women's rights within Islam.

At best, the reform played hostage to politico-religious semantics; at worst, women were kept legally discriminated against by those using the banner of tradition to defend the status quo. But with a King who has made his pro-women's rights credentials known in numerous speeches and acts, the trend was perhaps inevitable.

Dating back to the late 1950s, the present (and soon to be reformed) Moudawana is often considered an anachronism in today's Morocco: the family falls under the husband's responsibility, the wife has an obligation to obey, the husband is able to repudiate his marriage and throw his wife and children on the streets, and polygamy is accepted as the husband's prerogative.

The new commission, formed at the end of 2002 and headed by Mohamed Boucetta, managed to hammer out a reform that pleased both modernists and traditionalists. Indeed the King himself defended this reform in a speech that borrowed heavily from his religion. "I cannot authorise that which God has prohibited," he stated, "nor forbid that which God has authorised." The reform's core logic is equality between men and women based on the Ijtihad.

The new reform is quite comprehensive and far reaching. In an excellent summary in TelQuel, Maria Daif and Laetitia Grotti outlined the reforms: 18 as the equal marriage age (preventing the practice of marrying of teenage daughters); the partner's consent (minimising the risk of forced arranged marriages); marriage falls under the couple's mutual direction (no more patriarchal households); a sharing of goods; polygamy is rendered difficult (the husband must demonstrate to a judge both the necessity of a second wife and his ability to look after both spouses properly); divorce by repudiation is allowed, but by both partners - and the husband must show that he can carry out his divorce duties towards his wife and children.

Critics still point to deficiencies - heritage rights, whereby sons are entitled to twice their sister's parental inheritance (though grandchildren can inherit equally); women who bear children out of wedlock cannot demand paternity rights for their children (unless the couple were engaged).

But there is general agreement that this reform is nigh on revolutionary for the country. It demands a comprehensive change in mentalities, and goes some way to giving women the legal status that their socio-economic position requires - in a country where 40% of women are now part of the workforce (the figure would be higher if it included informal work), yet only 37% are literate.

To move from legislation to execution, the King has already demanded that the Minister of Justice Mohamed Mouzoubaa prepare the establishment of family courts. These will serve as judicial arbitrators in all matters related to the code, depriving many adouls of their previous monopoly on such matters on the basis of their reading of the sharia.

There is also a strong measure of consensus. The Islamists have been on the back foot since the May terrorist attacks, and most have changed their tack from outright opposition to claims that they had demanded the reforms in any case. Religious sensitivity in the new reform has also lessened their concerns. Some of the more outspoken feminists meanwhile have accepted the reforms pragmatically as a first step in the right direction.

The reforms will require more than legislature and judicial oversight. Concerning as it does family relations, no less is proposed than a complete overhaul of the gender relationship in Morocco. Long term male prerogatives are being challenged, and the struggle is a nuanced battle between modernists and traditionalists, feminists and Islamists - although the boundary lines are frayed.

As Khalid Jamai, journalist at le Journal Hebdomadaire put it, women do not have a problem, it is the men. A legacy of patriarchal culture has been infused and justified with conservative Muslim precepts - using a literal reading of various religious texts to justify the subordination of women. In that sense, the reform's realisation will basically require a change of mentality - the slowest type of social reform. Ultimately it will depend on improved education and literacy rates.

By invoking the Ijtihad, King Mohamed VI is proposing to follow the spirit of Islamic law, rather than a literal and strict interpretation of the hadith. In so doing, he gives himself room to out-manoeuvre Islamic opponents and confirm his position as leader of the faithful.

It is nevertheless the Islamic opposition's acceptance of this interpretation that will be decisive for the reform to have a real impact. With their wide support, their validation of the Moudawana's reform will go some way to helping Moroccans accept the changes now being proposed.

An interesting time ahead, it seems, for married life in Morocco.  Chris de Oliveira  http://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/weekly01.asp?id=707

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Morocco finds recipe for cash in expatriates

TANGIERS, Morocco, Oct 21 (Reuters) - It is mayhem at the port of Tangiers, babies scream, motorists honk their horns and people lose their cool over whose turn it is in the crowded toilets.  With a queue of 9,000 cars stretching more than four km (2.5 miles), 45,000 Moroccan expatriates wait for a ferry across the Strait of Gibraltar to Spain and the port of Algeciras, before setting off on a long drive to their host countries in Europe.  "I'm glad I come here only once a year. We've been waiting for a ferry for 18 hours," said Paris-based Mohamed Beqali as he stood by his car. His wife and three daughters were inside in the sweltering heat. Officials at the port, which can process only 6,000 cars a day with half a dozen ferry companies, said the delays were due to a weak infrastructure and a rush of weekend travellers.

With a fifth of the population below the poverty line and unemployment at up to 20 percent in urban areas, expatriates are seen as the benefactors of Morocco's economy. In addition to remittances, equivalent to almost half of Morocco's annual exports, their visits are a boost to consumption in an economy hungry for foreign currency. The number of expatriates who spent their summer holidays in the North African country rose 14 percent this year to 1.51 million. There is room for more. The foreign-based Moroccan community is estimated at 2.5 million, and lives mainly in France, Spain, Belgium and Italy.

ECONOMIC PILLAR

The rise in visitors has been attributed to efforts by the authorities since King Mohammed came to the throne in 1999. The king has shown a personal involvement and in a symbolic gesture proclaimed August 10 National Migrant Day as of this year. Since 1999 remittances have increased 60 percent. They reached 32 billion dirhams ($3.33 billion) in 2002, by far exceeding receipts from tourism, seen as a strategic economic sector. The charm offensive is still paying off. Expatriate money transfers rose 6.6 percent in the first half of 2003 to 15.2 billion dirhams ($1.6 billion), or the equivalent of half the country's main exports, clothing and textile. London-based Mustapha Meknassa said he sends the equivalent of 5,000 dirhams a month to his relatives, three times the minimum industrial wage. "They can't do without it," he said. Nezha Chekrouni, minister-delegate with responsibility for the Moroccan community abroad, said the king's involvement in expatriate issues had a positive impact on the economy. "Of course, there is a material gain...but our main goal is to strengthen the bonds and have expatriates look forward to visiting their country," she told Reuters. Her department has drafted a strategy to "consolidate the rights and assets of Moroccan expatriates, improve the conditions of their transits and promote direct investment," Chekrouni said.

INVEST? NO THANK YOU

For the majority of immigrants sending money regularly to relatives is one thing, investing in Morocco is another. Moroccan expatriates with an investor profile are very few, said Edwige Geraldo, a French Foreign Ministry trainee. "The cultural gaps represent the main obstacle. The majority of expatriates don't understand, for instance, the inequalities affecting women's status here," Geraldo, who has led a study on Moroccan migrants with a Spanish counterpart Celia Vazquez Perez told Reuters. Vazquez Perez said immigrants were even more discouraged by poverty, nepotism, lack of organisation and bureaucracy, more rife in Morocco than in their host countries. "The only investment I can think of is to build myself a nice house overlooking the beach," said Paris-based Beqali. Mohamed S., who works at a car plant in Poissy just west of Paris, said he planned to retire in Morocco and open a garage in his hometown of Oujda. "I don't know if we can call this an investment...But before embarking on such a venture, I'll need to be sure that I won't have to pay bribes," he said. ((Editing by Gilles Trequesser; Reuters Messaging: souhail.karam.reuters.com@reuters.net; +212-37 720065)) ($1=9.619 dirhams)

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=1066712414nL17632951&Section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=Features%2C%20Analysis%20and%20Opinion&objectid=13F83A62-8988-11D5-867E00D0B74A0D7C

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Morocco aims to increase tourism by 10 percent Investment will total $7.7 billion

Abbas Salman Special to The Daily Star

RABAT: Morocco plans to invest 75 billion dirhams (around $7.7 billion) on the tourism industry in 10 years to lure around 10 million foreign and Arab tourists, a Moroccan official has said. Tourism Ministry Undersecretary Hassan Casimi also said that he expected the number of tourists going to the North African country was likely to drop by around 10 percent this year, as compared with the number of visitors a year earlier. Casimi, speaking on the sideline of a tourism conference, said that the Moroccan government had signed a deal with a local contracting federation to boost the tourism industry.

"The main target of the agreement is to lure around 10 million visitors by the year 2010. It also includes adding more beds," he said, adding that the 10-year plan will double the number of available beds to around 260,000 in order to accommodate the expected influx of tourists. "The total investment will be around 75 billion Moroccan dirhams, and that will create around 600,000 job opportunities for Moroccans," he added.

Morocco's population is estimated at 30 million. The tourism industry and agriculture are the two main sources of the state's income. The minister expected the number of tourists to drop by up to 10 percent in 2003 compared with 2002. Rabat lured around 4.5 million tourists in 2002, mostly from European countries. "Because the main (tourists) markets for Morocco are the European markets, the cause of the drop in the number of tourists to the country is the global economic slowdown. "Despite the global events, Morocco is stable. The events had had no known negative impact on the tourism industry. The reasons are purely economic."

He said that since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, and the suicide attacks in Casablanca considered the events to have had only marginal effect on tourism "the situation in the country was returning to normal." The minister said tourism income in Morocco in 2002 stood at around $2.5 billion, but this is expected to fall by 10 percent in 2003 "because the link between the economy and the tourism industry is stronger than anything else." He gave no further details.

He said his country allocates $30 million annually to help lure more foreign tourists as well from within the country. "Morocco encourages internal tourism between Arab states, and there is a new strategy planned to lure more Arab tourists to Morocco. The steady growth will be completed by the end of the year and will focus on the needs of the Arab market to lure more tourists."

"We will start working on the strategy in 2004 and we will not pause because our aim is to develop Moroccan tourism industry, internally and externally." Casimi said all investment in the tourism industry come from the private sector, and "the Moroccan government provides all facilities and the right atmosphere to make the industry successful. "Despite the hard circumstances faced since the Sept. 11 events, local and foreign investment in the Moroccan tourism industry has witnessed a strong growth. "Our analysis is that this growth fuelled by people's confidence in the country." Morocco has good and reliable road and railway transportation, operating almost 24 hours a day, that carries tourists from the airport near the economic capital Casablanca to various destinations around the country.

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/business/21_10_03_g.asp

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Morocco sets $17.9 bln 04' budget, wage bill up

RABAT, Oct 21 (Reuters) - Morocco's budget bill for 2004 projects a 3.0 percent deficit and an inflation rate stable at 2.0 percent with a continuing rise in the public wage bill, according to figures released on Tuesday. Presenting the draft to parliament, Finance and Privatisation Minister Fathallah Oualalou said it was based on a crude oil price of $25 a barrel and a 1.17 exchange rate between the euro and the U.S. dollar. Confirming data he outlined to Reuters in an interview last week, Oualalou said gross domestic product (GDP) was forecast to grow by 3.0 percent, down from 5.5 percent this year. Budget deficit is set to reach 3.8 percent in 2003. The north African country's budget totalled 167.6 billion dirhams ($17.9 billion), up from 160.7 billion dirhams in 2003. Final approval by parliament is expected by year-end. The fiscal year starts in January. "The public wage bill will rise (2.34 percent) to 53.57 billion dirhams in 2004. It represents 12.5 percent of GDP. This is too high compared to international standards," Oualalou said.

The increase stemmed mainly from large-scale wage hikes agreed earlier this year for over 600,000 employees in the education and interior ministries, the police and other departments of the administration, he said. "Only 7,000 public administration jobs will be created in 2004...mainly for education, health, justice and the interior," he said. He provided no breakdown or comparative figures for 2003. Oualalou said public investment, including by state-owned firms and local councils, would rise 6.3 percent to 70 billion dirhams in 2004. A Finance Ministry statement detailing the bill said public debt was set to inch down 0.32 percent to 41.6 billion dirhams. Tnis included 11.44 billion dirhams of foreign debt, down 28 percent from 2003, and 30.2 billion dirhams ofo domestic debt, up 16.8 percent from this year.

Customs receipts are set to decline 14.5 percent in 2004 to 10.9 billion dirhams, apparently affected by the gradual dismantling of trade barriers with the European Union, which started in 2002 as part of a partnership agreement. Privatisation receipts are forecast at 12 billion dirhams in 2004, with proceeds mainly from the sale of a 16 percent stake in Maroc Telecom to France's Vivendi Universal and the flotation in the local bourse of a 20 percent in the capital of Banque Centrale Populaire, the country's largest bank. ((Reporting by Souhail Karam; Reuters Messaging: souhail.karam.reuters.com@reuters.net; +212-37 720065)) ($1=9.349 dirhams)

http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=1066747986nL21655197&section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C

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2004 Finance Law: Morocco Earmarks $100 Mln for Social Sector

RABAT, Oct.21 - Morocco is earmarking 1.08 billion dirhams (nearly US$ 100 million) to social sectors in the 2004 draft finance law, said minister of finance and privatization, Fathallah Oulaalou. Some 500 million dirhams (one US Dollar costs some 9.33 dirhams) will go to concerned departments, 400 million dirhams to the office of professional training and 150 millions are earmarked for the Social development agency, he said while presenting the 2004 finance law at the House of Representatives (parliament upper chamber). Concerning rural areas, the draft provides for a program meant to bridge the gap between cities and the countryside in basic infrastructure, reinforce rural area's productivity and complete rural electrification and drinking water supply by 2007 instead of 2010 as planned before.

The social aspect is a major axis of the finance law of 2004, said Oulaalou. It has constituted a major pole of state action in different fields with 48% of its budget, he added. Public investment efforts aim mainly at supporting employment, social action and solidarity. A particular focus is laid on enhancing the capacity of professional training institutions and improving family law protection provisions. The government's proximity policy also involves the sector of youth with 48,8 million DH, in addition to 27 millions of investment expenses.

Over 110 million dirhams were earmarked for illiteracy fighting and informal education while professional training will get 422.3 million dirhams to raise training facilities capacity from 57,000 to 133,000 by 2007-2008, the minister said. Some 50 million DH will go to employment and solidarity. They will be used to promote employment, develop assistance actions and support poverty fighting through mutual aid, employment promotion and social development agencies. According to Oulaalou, the integration of handicapped persons, improvement of women's condition, and easing access to health services will take some 28 million dirhams. The health department's budget is worth 5.5 billion dirhams (550 million US dollars), i.e. a 5.9% rise in comparison with last year's. © MAP 2003

http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm

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Meteorite of a Football Size Discovered in Morocco
10/24/2003

The unearthly origin of the find is proved by its crystal structure. A large meteorite has been discovered near the city of Oujda to the north-east of Morocco. Local mass media reported on Thursday that the meteorite's weight was 22 kilograms. The size of the meteorite is a bit less than a football.  A geological center in Oudja has evinced extremely high interest in the find. A great part of the meteorite, about two thirds of it, is brown (when the find was discovered this very part was stuck into the surface; a smaller part of the meteorite is black, Russia's news agency ITAR-TASS reports.  The unearthly origin of the find is proved by its crystal structure and slight oval-formed specks of iron and magnesium.  Experts estimate that the meteorite dropped on the planet's surface not less than 10 years ago, but the exact period of the drop is to be determined after a thorough analysis. This analysis requires at least a year; after that the meteorite will be exhibited at one of the national museums for public expositions.  All meteorites are divided into finds and drops; finds are such meteorites which falling was not observed. Their belonging to meteorites is estimated by the substantial analysis of their structure.  Majority of meteorites in museums and private collections are discoveries. As stone meteorites can be mistaken for earth rocks, they often remain unnoticed. The percentage of stone meteorites among the finds is lower than among the drops.

http://english.pravda.ru/science/19/94/377/11153_meteorite.html

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EU Welcomes Moroccan Family Code Reform

Brussels, Oct 24 - The European Union has welcomed the reform of the Family law, known as "Mudawana", announced recently on Oct.10 by Moroccan H.M king Mohammed VI at the parliament. The reform aims, among other things, to implement the principle of equality between men and women, said the EU chairmanship in a statement published at the end of the third meeting of the EU-Morocco Association Committee held on October 21 in Rabat (Morocco). The new Family Code that is still to be discussed by the parliament was welcomed as "revolutionary" both in Morocco and worldwide.  Under the new family law, women in Morocco are to win greater marriage and divorce rights, in line with the spirit of the Quran's teachings as was put by the Moroccan monarch. The minimum age for women to marry is to be raised from 15 to 18, to equal that of men, and women will get property rights in the marriage. Women will also be able to divorce their husbands, rather than just the other way round, and unlike previous conditions, divorce will require a judge's approval. The new law also sets stringent conditions that make polygamy almost impossible for men. MAP 2003 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm

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Morocco adopts set of measures to reform economy, promote investments

Economics, 10/24/2003 Presenting Tuesday at the House of Representatives (parliament lower chamber) the finance law for 2004, minister of finance and privatization, Fathallah Oulaalou, announced a set of measures to speed up the upgrading of national economy and promote investments. The state will create the necessary structures such as industrial and tourism zones, in cooperation with public institutions and local communities, and a national agency for small and medium enterprises will be set up by the state, Oulaalou said. Special credit lines have been opened to provide loans to "young enterprises," in cooperation with friend countries, he said, adding that guarantee funds were created such as the 400 Mln Dirham (around US$ 40 million) Fund for economic upgrading, with a 50% contribution from the EU, the 200 million Dirham ($20 Mln) fund for hotels refurbishment and the 100 Million Dirham fund to support the textile-garments sector. These funds, the minister said, will enable the mobilization of 8 billion dirhams (US$800 million) of bank credits at advantageous conditions. Oulaalou also announced a train of fiscal measures to accompany the modernization of different sectors. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031024/2003102420.html

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Two Moroccan directors prized at Montréal's new cinema, new media festival

Local, 10/22/2003

Montreal's 32nd international festival "New Cinema and New Media (FCCM 2003)" which winded up Sunday has awarded to Moroccan director, Hakim Belabbes, its special prize for his "Les Fibres de l'Ame (Soul Threads)" and to Narjiss Nejjar the public's prize for her "Les Yeux Secs (Cry No More)." The two Moroccan movies were selected among more than 300 movies from some 50 countries screened at the festival. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031022/2003102218.html

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Morocco calls for a quota system for immigration

 Politics, 10/24/2003

Morocco has called for the regulation of immigration by establishing a quota system to help candidates to migration to Europe settle there in a legal way. In a statement to MAP, Wednesday, on the fringes of the 2nd ministerial conference of member-countries of the "5"5 Dialogue" (made up of the five Maghreb countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, and five European countries: France, Spain, Italy, Portugal and Malta), Moroccan minister of employment, social affairs and solidarity, Mustapha Mansouri, said this system should be accompanied by a "professional training" of these legal immigrants in order to facilitate their integration in the host countries.

Every year, tens of thousands of illegal immigrants from Morocco and Sub-Saharan Africa attempt to cross the Gibraltar Strait, most of the time aboard makeshift boats, with the hope of reaching the Spanish peninsula by paying human-traffickers networks. Some of them never make it to the "Eldorado" and die on their way while thousand others are arrested before or while reaching the European continent. The regulation of the flow of illegal immigrants is among the issue topping the agenda of the two-day conference that will also discuss the rights and duties of migrants in the host countries as well as migration and co-development. Nouzha Chekrouni, Moroccan minister in charge of Moroccan expatriates, hopes that this conference adopts "a comprehensive approach that goes beyond security aspects to encompass humanitarian and socio-cultural aspects and migrants' rights."

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Chekrouni said by playing host to the meeting, Morocco wishes to intensify the 5"5 Dialogue and promote cooperation between the northern and southern Mediterranean banks. She pointed out to the causes of what she called "migratory disorder" that is mainly due to the development gap between the two banks of the Mediterranean. While explaining that prosperity in Europe attracts migrants from Africa, the Moroccan minister noted that the exploitation by the Mafia networks of this "irresistible attraction" has increased dramatically.

The Moroccan official was echoed by other speakers, mainly head of the Algerian delegation, Ambassador Meghar Houcine, who observed that migration should not be perceived as a negative phenomenon and a source of misunderstanding or divergences, but rather as a "dynamic aspect." Tunisian minister of social affairs and solidarity, Chedli Neffati, urged participants to work out a program that takes into account the common interests of people in the region. On his part, Spanish Under-Secretary of State at the ministry of employment, Jos? Maria Olano, said his country ambitions to adapt the migratory flow to the needs of the job market and to reduce the number of illegal immigrants. He pledged that a system of annual quotas of work permits for foreigners will be set up to satisfy available job offers. Speaking at the conference, French minister Nicole Amiline insisted that any immigration policy should include mechanisms for immigrants' integration. http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/031024/2003102421.html

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