Handicraft contributes 19% to Morocco's GDP
Morocco's annual volume of hazardous medical waste reach 12,000 tons
Nearly 1.5 million children do not attend school in Morocco, Minister
Half of Morocco's rural population are supplied with drinking water, minister
Over 1,700 Women in Moroccan Prisons
Between 30 to 40 percent of women in Casablanca emergencies are victims of domestic violence, study
Morocco can save up to one million cubic meter of water per year, expert
Efforts to include Berber language in fighting illiteracy
Morocco's human rights education program outlined at UN committee
Morocco's Islamic party is far cry from extremism, party leader
Over 25 oil prospecting companies operating in Morocco, minister
60,000 engineers needed to meet international companies demand
Witchcraft thrives in Morocco
2010: Morocco Take First Shot
Moroccan Road Gets Additional 42 Mln Euro-Donation from EC
Morocco's King, one of the great reformers in Arab states, Canadian report
Economic integration among north African countries is a must
North Africa joins forces to fight locusts.
Training-the-trainers project begins in Morocco
Moroccan official stresses democracy is remedy to terrorism

Handicraft contributes 19% to Morocco's GDP
Economics, 4/22/2004

The handicraft sector contributes 19% to the Moroccan GDP and exports of craftsmanship items generate six billion DHs (US$ 666 million) in hard currency, said handicraft and social economy minister, M'hamed El Khalifa. The official told "Assabah" daily six million people live on the sector which employs 2 million persons.
The minister deplored the lack of support to the sector, but promised major changes despite the shortage of funds. For El Khalifa, the free trade agreement, concluded early last month with the USA, will have a positive impact on handicraft, given the US legislation on handicraft and the keenness of Moroccan negotiators to defend the sector.
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Morocco's annual volume of hazardous medical waste reach 12,000 tons
Environment, 4/21/2004

The annual volume of medical waste in Morocco has reached 38,000 tons, including 12,000 considered as dangerous, revealed Tuesday the Moroccan secretary of State in charge of environment. M'Hammed El Morabit who was addressing the House of Advisers (Senate), said that due to the lack of a sorting system, his department considers "dangerous" the total amount of those waste (38,000). He urged for "speeding up" the presentation and the adoption of a draft law on the treatment of solid waste.
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Nearly 1.5 million children do not attend school in Morocco, Minister
MARRAKECH (South of Rabat), Apr. 21

Nearly 1.5 million children aged 9 to 15, most of them in "difficult (social and economic) situation" do not attend school, revealed, here Wednesday, the Moroccan Secretary of State in charge of literacy and Informal education.  Najima Rhozali who was speaking during a visit to schools in the outskirts of Marrakech, on the occasion of the World Week on "Education for All", called for "new pedagogic approach" taking into account these children and their parent's situation. She said that the United Nations educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has proposed to organize this week to allow all children attend educational, artistic and social activities with the aim to raise their awareness about access to Education. © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/economy/eco_003.htm
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Half of Morocco's rural population are supplied with drinking water, minister
Local, 4/21/2004

Half of the Moroccan population in rural areas have been so far supplied with drinking water and the rate is scheduled to reach 90% by 2007, revealed Tuesday, the Moroccan Minister territorial management, Water and Environment http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040421/2004042124.html
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Over 1,700 Women in Moroccan Prisons
Local, 4/17/2004

A total of 1,772 women, including 33 pregnant inmates, are serving prison sentences in various Moroccan prisons. Out of this figure, 132 are below 20 years.
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Between 30 to 40 percent of women in Casablanca emergencies are victims of domestic violence, study
Culture, 4/20/2004

Between 30 to 40 percent of women admitted monthly to emergencies in the Moroccan metropolis Casablanca are victims of conjugal violence, revealed a study published last weekend. These statistics came in a 200-page-survey, conducted from 2000 to 2003, by the Women information and observation center and the democratic league for women's rights. Testimonies of some 3,795 women from several Moroccan rural and urban areas were taken in the alarming survey.

The majority of victims live in poor neighborhoods and 61.6 percent of cases of domestic violence are committed by illiterate husbands, reveals the survey. It further points out that the risks of domestic violence diminishes when the husband has been to school or university (2 percent of husbands with university degrees). More than half (54.5%) of women who were physically assaulted by their husband are housewives and the percentage drops to 7.2 % for women civil servants and 2.4 % for those practising other liberal jobs. The age of the majority of these women ranges from 20 to 49 years. According to the survey, the majority of violent husbands work in informal jobs.

The survey gave 133 recommendations to fight violence and discrimination against women and fill in some gaps in the new provisions of the Mudawana (family law). It points out, nevertheless, to positive aspects in the reform of the family law that suppressed concepts undermining women's dignity. The family Law reforms, first announced by King Mohammed VI last October, provide for equality in rights and duties between men and women in family matters and aim to promote the status of women in the Moroccan society.
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Morocco can save up to one million cubic meter of water per year, expert
Rabat, April 19

By improving the irrigation systems and implementing localized irrigation techniques, Morocco can "easily save up to one billion cubic meters of water per year, I.e. the equivalent of a middle dam", according to a Moroccan expert. Abdelhafid Debbagh, director of the national school of Agriculture in Meknes (150 km northeast of rabat) told MAP on Monday that studies have shown that by improving those systems, "we can save up to 750 million cubic meters of water per year." He was speaking on the sidelines of a Euro-Mediterranean seminar on "modernizing irrigated agriculture in the Maghreb countries". © MAP 2004 http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/news/politics/pol_0005.htm
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Efforts to include Berber language in fighting illiteracy
Culture, 4/23/2004

Vice-chancellor of the Moroccan Royal Institute of Amazigh Culture (IRCAM), Ahmed Boukous, said, here Thursday, that his institute is working out a plan aiming at including the Berber language (spoken by More than half of the Moroccan population) in efforts to fight illiteracy in the country. Boukous who was speaking at the opening of a meeting on the "struggle against Amazigh illiteracy " prelude to a lasting development," insisted on such program that will, according to him, benefit all people speaking Amazigh, and take into account their "social and economic realities http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040423/2004042321.html
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Morocco's human rights education program outlined at UN committee

Politics, 4/17/2004

The Moroccan human rights advisory council (CCDH) outlined on Friday its human rights education program at the UN human rights committee of coordination between national human rights promotion and protection institutions.  A CCDH delegation, taking part in the 60th session of the UN committee meeting in Geneva this April 15-16, said since its creation in 1990, the council has been endeavouring to develop a program of human rights education in schools. The aim is to take out from school syllabi any content that contradicts human rights principles, contribute to the training of teachers and spread the knowledge of human rights conventions ratified by Morocco.

After reviewing the school manuals, developing a reference guide and compiling a nomenclature of international legal texts, the CCDH launched the experimental phase in five regional academies within a sample of schools in rural and urban areas. The experimental phase concerned 1,100 teachers. A CCDH member added that the experience will be generalized to all schools and levels in the 2004-2005 school year. In parallel, a nationwide audio-visual information campaign meant to promote the values of human rights was launched at the proposal of the CCDH.
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Morocco's Islamic party is far cry from extremism, party leader
Politics, 4/22/2004

Secretary general of the Party of Justice and Development (PJD- in parliament), sole Islamic party in Morocco, said the discourse of the party does not reflect any form of extremism. Saadeddine Othmani, who was guest to a show in the Moroccan national television (TVM), said the PJD is a moderate party that is attached to the values of tolerance and rejects all forms of fanaticism and violence.

Othmani, 48, who took over the leadership of the Islamic party in replacement of the party's founder, 84 year-old Dr Abdelkrim Al Khatib, said the party will remain faithful to its strategy based on the nation's constant foundations, namely the respect of Islam, national unity and the constitutional monarchy. Othmani said his party is ready to cooperate with all political parties and representatives of the civil society. He pointed out that PJD "exists to accomplish its mission both in opposition or within the government." He did not rule out the possibility for his party to be in the government "should conditions for coalition with other political parties" be gathered. Othmani denied that the PJD is a copy of a foreign party, insisting that his party aims at "highlighting its own experience" based on the nation's constant foundations and benefiting from other experiences through the establishment of relations with foreign parties.

On the recent reforms in Morocco, Othmani described the creation of the committee of Equity and Reconciliation, in charge of pursuing out-of-court settlement of human rights abuses committed in the past, as "an important and courageous step" to turn the page of the past. He said this "new model"
reflects the unique Moroccan experience in human rights and democracy.

PDJ's secretary general called for reforming justice to guarantee a "fair and independent justice," deploring that the government has been dragging feet in this issue. Evoking the PJD's participation in last September 12 local elections, he said his party has made a "courageous" decision by "deliberately" reducing the number of candidacies. He added that members of the party had been subject to "pressure" in many provinces during the elections, which had a negative impact on their participation.  The Party for Justice and Development won 593 seats in the local elections. Othmani had deemed the results "honorable" compared to the low number of the PJD candidacies http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040422/2004042226.html
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Over 25 oil prospecting companies operating in Morocco, minister
Economics, 4/22/2004

Oil prospecting in Morocco witnessed in recent years an "interesting dynamic" as no less than 59 agreements have been signed with more than 25 companies, revealed on Wednesday Mohamed Boutaleb, Moroccan Minister of Energy and Mines, This dynamic, he explained in an interview with the Moroccan daily "Aujourd'hui le Maroc," is the result of a "clear and ambitious strategy" of oil prospecting that materialized with the creation of the state-owned "Office national des hydrocarbures et des mines" (ONHYM) and the adoption of the new code of hydrocarbons that is "more attractive."
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60,000 engineers needed to meet international companies demand
Economics, 4/22/2004

Morocco needs to train, in the 10 coming years, 60,000 engineers to meet the growing demand of foreign companies operating in the country, said head of the Rabat Mohammedia Engineers school, Ramdane Khalid. There are now 8 engineers for each 10,000 inhabitants and Morocco needs to increase the number of engineers who graduate every year to meet the growing demand, he went on. The school director stressed at a conference debating the integration of Morocco in the world economy that the skills of Morocco's engineers are another incentive for foreign investors, but their number remains low as the school only train 280 engineers annually, while 1,000 engineers graduate from similar schools in industrialized countries. Several Moroccan and foreign state-owned and private enterprises are taking part in the conference and in the exhibition, two events designed as recruitment spaces for the EMI graduates.
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Witchcraft thrives in Morocco
Fes(Morocco)

Lalla Aicha's portly body rests languidly on a mattress as she listens to a young woman murmuring her most delicate secrets. As she begins to counsel her client the voice of one of the most popular witches in Fes pierces the air. Coming from an elderly woman, it is at an unexpectedly high octave. "That's not her talking," whispers Wafa, a restaurant owner who sought Lalla Aicha's prophecies for two years. "She is possessed by a spirit of a young girl and only in such a state can she see the future."

Islam, Morocco's dominant religion, denounces sorcery as a pagan satanic rite. However, pre-Islamic practices of black and white magic, witchcraft, beliefs in various omens and superstitions are widespread in the north African country. Many people believe that jinns, or spirits, rule their lives.

Lalla Aicha represents a strong and well-wishing spirit fashioned after a local heroine who battled Spanish colonisers, according to Khadija Amiti, a sociology professor at the University of Kenitra, near the capital, Rabat. "The phenomenon of clairvoyance has not diminished, it has only evolved in its methods," she said. Witchdoctors can be found in most towns and villages. Each souk has a traditional medicine shop, selling everything from hair-thickening agents to body balms that promise to make a person more popular. "The Islamic leaders preach against it in mosques," Amiti said, but, in practice, they turn a blind eye. "There is a contradiction between religion and the practice of sorcery. But the Islamists are interested in fighting other things, like drinking wine or not wearing a veil. Their issues are political, not social," she added. According to Amiti, sorcery is "a cultural phenomenon" in the kingdom of 30 million people and part of everyday life.

"For illnesses people believe more and more in medicine, but for psycho-pathological problems, mostly marital issues, they consult clairvoyants." she said. - Reuters
http://www.themercury.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=284&fArticleId=408882
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2010: Morocco Take First Shot
Apr 19, 2004 (Vanguard/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX)

Morocco have been drawn ahead of the five other countries bidding to host the 2010 FIFA World Cup ceded to Africa to make her presentation to the Executive Committee of the world body which meets May 14 and 15 at its headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland to decide the winning bid.
According to an e-mail sent to Vanguard from FIFA's media office Wednesday last week, the draw to decide the order of presentation by the countries was conducted by the FIFA Secretary General Dr. Urs Linsi.

The presentation which begins with Morocco will start at 15.00 hours Swiss time and will see each country having the floor to address the Executive Members for one hour. Tunisia who had earlier thought of a joint bid with Libya before FIFA shot the idea down follows before South Africa, Libya and Egypt in that order.
During the 2000 nomination for the 2006 host which South Africa lost narrowly by one vote to Germany, Morocco who have been bidding for the World Cup for a long time lost out in the first ballot but most of the Arab countries who were expected to throw their weight behind South Africa surprisingly backed Germany.
The nearest the Moroccans came was during the 1994 nomination when they lost to the United States by a couple of votes. This time around, pundits are of the opinion that the avalanche of north African countries in the race (four) would give the South Africans, who are highly favoured the edge.

When the FIFA Executive Committee however announces the winner on May 15, 2004, one vote the South Africans shouldn't count on is that of Ishmael Bhamjee from Botswana who have told them he is not sure who to vote having earlier assured them of same. Bhamjee's grouse may not be unconnected to the CAF election last January in Tunisia when he lost to the incumbent Issa Hayatou and accused South Africa and the entire southern African region of betraying him, claiming he could have scored more than the six votes he recorded if the region had voted massively for him.
by Patrick Omorodion Copyright Vanguard. Distributed by All Africa Global Media(AllAfrica.com) http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=110u5616&Section=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
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Moroccan Road Gets Additional 42 Mln Euro-Donation from EC
RABAT, Apr.20

The European Commission has extended an additional 42 million Euro-donation to the Mediterranean bypass road scheduled to link the northern city of Tangiers to the northeastern sea resort of Saidia, along the Mediterranean shore. The decision to allocate this new funding, that brings the European budget to the project to 122 million Euros, was made after complementary studies showed the project needed modifications in the road course and a better viability, given that the region faced serious geological hazards.  The project budget and duration were extended in order to reduce geo-technical and geological hazards, improve the quality and reliability of the road and, consequently the safety of users.  The 560 km-long road is break the isolation of the northern regions. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/home_dep/h_depmay16.htm
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Morocco's King, one of the great reformers in Arab states, Canadian report
Politics, 4/21/2004

A Canadian parliamentary report has described Morocco's King Mohammed VI as "one of the greatest reformers in the Arab World," saying he represents the "best hope of development and democracy in the Moslem World." The report on "Canada's relations with Muslim countries," worked out by the Canadian House of Common's (parliament) Permanent Committee of Foreign Affairs and International Commerce, underlined that Morocco is one of the first countries in the Arab states to have carried out important political reforms in human rights and freedom of speech.

The Committee deemed that Morocco could serve as a model to other Arab states, noting that the Kingdom constitutes a "pole of peace, stability, and moderation in the Mediterranean and in the world." The report recommends to the Canadian Government to support Morocco in its ongoing democratic and development efforts and in its reforms notably in Education and those in relation with the civil society's actions.
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Economic integration among north African countries is a must
Politics, 4/21/2004

Economic integration among north African countries is necessary if the continent is to keep abreast with important regional groupings worldwide, said Moroccan high commissioner for planning, Ahmed Lahlimi. Tapping on our complementary resources "would allow us to strengthen our negotiation capacity and increase the attractiveness of our countries with regard to foreign and national capital," Lahlimi said at the opening in Tangiers Monday of the 19th intergovernmental experts meeting that musters representatives of 7 countries of the north African sub-region, namely Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, Libya, Egypt and Sudan.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Moroccan official deemed that no country of the north African sub-region can on its own meet optimal conditions to integrate a world economic order that is in a swift change. This is why, he said, it is urgent to intensify efforts to energize and consolidate the structures of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) that is the cornerstone of a broader regional integration. Lahlimi added that the "Agadir declaration," which provides for the creation, by 2005, of a free trade zone between four Arab states (Morocco, Egypt and Jordan and Tunisia), paves the way for the reinforcement of inter-Arab exchanges with a view to creating an Arab free trade zone.

Countries in the region face common challenges, said Lahlimi stressing that "this makes it crucial for our countries to overcome artificial conflicts and disputes" and adopt development strategies part of a prospective vision, a strategic planning and a constant assessment of objectives. The 19th intergovernmental experts meeting (April 19-21) is discussing themes related to development in the seven countries of the north African sub-region, such as the economic and social situation in 2003, e-trade and information and communication technologies and competitiveness in north Africa. Recommendations of the meeting will be submitted to the joint conference of African finance, planning and economic development ministers who will convene in Kampala (Uganda) next May 18-22.
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North Africa joins forces to fight locusts.
21 Apr 2004 RABAT, April 21 (Reuters)

North African countries have joined forces to fight swarms of locusts that could threaten an expected bumper crop of cereals in the Maghreb area, a spokesman for a regional grouping said on Wednesday. Experts from Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia met this week in Rabat to devise a regional strategy, a spokesman for the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) said. "Experts see the situation under control but they agreed on the urgent need for regional sharing of information to improve the anti-locust campaign and boost preventive measures," the spokesman said.

Of an estimated 10 million hectares of planted areas in North Africa, only 1.5 million hectares have so far been treated to repel locusts, he said. The areas affected by locusts include northern Mauritania, southern and eastern Morocco, southern Algeria and Tunisia and some parts of western Libya. Annual cereal needs for Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are estimated at 16 to18 million tonnes. Their combined harvests are forecast to reach some 12 million tonnes this year. The Moroccan Agriculture Ministry said the locusts posed no threat for the moment to the country's 5.5 million hectares of cereal-planted fields. But experts said Maghreb countries needed to act quickly to prevent a younger and hungrier generation of locusts from hatching in the northern desert area of Mauritania and eventually moving north to look for food. Set up in 1989 with the goal of creating a free trade area between its five member-countries, the AMU has never really taken off due mainly to differences between its kingpins, Morocco and Algeria, over the Western Sahara territory.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L21474550.htm
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Training-the-trainers project begins in Morocco
Apr 23, 2004

The World Association of Newspapers (WAN) is launching a new project to teach newspaper managers in Morocco how to train their colleagues.
The project will train newspaper managers on personnel management, commercial policies, marketing, technology, finances and editorial management. The Federation of Moroccan Newspaper Publishers (FNEJ) and the London-based Center for Media Freedom are organizing the project along with WAN.
Thirty publishers, editors, executives and journalists will gather April 30 in Casablanca for the first workshop. They will discuss problems that face the Moroccan press and set priorities for the remainder of the project. WAN says the Moroccan press suffers from a lack of skilled personnel and poorly defined management roles. Said Essoulami, managing director of the Center for Media Freedom, says that newspapers in Morocco need to modernize their management practices because "adopting modern management practices also helps to guarantee independence and freedom."
For more information, contact Larry Kilman, WAN communication director, at lkilman@wan.asso.fr , telephone +33 1 47 42 85 00, or visit http://www.wan-press.org/article.php3?id_article=4118 .
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Moroccan official stresses democracy is remedy to terrorism
Politics, 4/23/2004

The preservation of democratic values is necessary to prevent all kinds of mischief, notably terrorism, speaker of the Moroccan House of Representatives told before the 110th assembly of inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) held here this April 18-23. During a debate themed "human rights: victim of fight against terrorism?,"
Abdelouahed Radi said political balance protects against many evils, especially terrorism, while the loss of democratic values are often the major cause of mischief that may lead to terrorism. Radi said the democratic culture is crucial to bringing about peace and stability.

"We have to respect and defend human rights and never accept regression. Moreover, we have to defend democracy and human rights against all threats,"
the speaker urged, underlining that human rights are among the pillars of democracy. For Radi, a real democracy "is a pluralist one." "We cannot conceive a democracy in a country with the single-party system." As for democracy at the international level, he noted that it depends on "multilateralism" and that the United Nations play an "indispensable" role in preserving this multilateralism and prevent the consequences of unilateralism. Some 620 Mps from 120 countries are participating in the assembly of inter-parliamentary Union (IPU) that is focusing this year on two themes: "human rights preservation in the fight against terrorism" and "children sexual exploitation."
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040423/2004042329.html

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