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FOM
Newsletter February 2004
Morocco
Week in Review
February 28 2004
Bush Offers Condolences,
Emergency Aid to Morocco
US ambassador launches construction of American school in Casablanca suburb
NW Medical Teams aids
Morocco quake victims.
Morocco at the heart of America's strategic alliance in Middle east, Congressmen.
Women
jog in Marrakesh to foster awareness of breast cancer.
Morocco Adopts Landmark Family Law Supporting Women's Equality.
Berber
textbook goes on display.
Morocco-US
Hold 7th FTA Round in Washington
Former US Coach to Head Morocco's Bid to Host 2010 Football World Cup
Four Arab
countries sign a free trade agreement in Rabat.
Morocco
opens skies to boost travel.
Cup
a tool for peace: Morocco
Morocco
to boost fish exports
Zaki: Morocco's
Magic Man
EIB lends EUR20 million to Morocco for drinking water and environmental protection
- Al Bawaba
Morocco-US pact
sparks protest
About 100,000 Hectares Sprayed in Morocco, Locust Situation under control
Mufti
of Marseille Praises "Bold" Family Code Reforms in Morocco
Moroccan expert criticizes shortcomings of Arab human rights charter
Morocco,
international justice NGO sign cooperation protocol
Air transport liberalization necessary for the sector's growth, Minister
Morocco calls for reorganizing markets to the benefit of small farmers
HM King Mohammed VI Underlines Compatibility between Islamic Ideals and Universal
Human Rights Standards.
Morocco
eyes 2 million Tons/year fish production by 2007
HM King Mohammed VI Launches Construction of Girls Protection Center, Two Socio-Cultural
Centers Near Agadir.
HM King Mohammed VI Dedicates center of sea products technologies in Agadir
Moroccan academic unveils finds on historic journey of Moroccan 14th C Traveler
EC releases EURO 28 million of risk capital facility for Mediterranean countries
Morocco 'militants' go to jail
Morocco,
Malaysia probe cooperation in IT use in administration
Government to unveil emergency plan to rebuild quake-stricken area, Minister.
Morocco Opens Account at Foreign Banks to Collect Funds for Quake Victims.
International aid continue to rush to Morocco, as quake-stricken populations spent
2nd night out
Spain's
olive branch to quake-hit
Morocco.US Sends Emergency Supplies And Relief Personnel to Morocco.
Survivors
struggle with Morocco quake aftermath
Morocco
king to visit quake area.
U.S. sending supplies to earthquake victims in Morocco
Bush Offers Condolences,
Emergency Aid to Morocco
The White House (Washington, DC) February
26, 2004
White House statement says U.S. ready to help "in any
way possible"
President Bush expressed condolences on behalf of
the American people to Morocco's King Mohamed VI and the people of Morocco following
the February 24 earthquake in Al Hoceima. According to a February 26 statement
issued by the White House Press Secretary, the American people and government
"stand ready to help in any way possible to assist our friends and allies
in Morocco in this time of need." The statement listed several relief
commodities donated thus far, including blankets, tents, generators, medical kits,
and plastic sheeting for emergency shelters. Bush also said a team of six American
disaster experts had been sent to help coordinate relief activities and distribute
supplies.
Following is the text of the White House statement:
STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY
On behalf of the American people, the
President expresses his condolences to His Majesty King Mohamed VI and the people
of Morocco on the terrible loss of life as a result of the tragic earthquake in
Al Hoceima. The American people and government stand ready to help in any way
possible to assist our friends and allies in Morocco in this time of need.
Assistance provided thus far to the Kingdom of Morocco for use in the afflicted
area includes a donation to the Moroccan Red Crescent for relief
supplies
and 10,000 woolen blankets. Additionally, we are sending plastic sheeting for
emergency shelters, 1,000 tents, 50 diesel generators, and 3
medical kits
with drugs and supplies for a total of 30,000 people. We have also sent a team
of six American disaster experts to help coordinate relief activities and distribute
supplies.
American assistance will continue to flow into Morocco to help
the people of the region recover from this earthquake, and the United States is
coordinating its efforts very closely with the Moroccan government. The Moroccan
and American people have been friends, partners, and allies for over two centuries.
In this time of need, the people and government of the United States will do their
utmost to respond to this tragedy.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200402270009.html
-------------------------------------------------------
US
ambassador launches construction of American school in Casablanca suburb
Morocco-USA, Local, 2/23/2004
US ambassador to Rabat, Thomas
Riley, on Friday laid the foundation stone of an American school in Dar Bouazza,
a Casablanca suburb. The 5-hectare school, affiliated to the city's George Washington
Academy, will cost 100 million dirhams (US$ 11 million). With this new school,
the academy is expected to receive some 1,000 students during the ten coming years,
against 450 currently. The US embassy also extended a 50,000 dollar donation to
the Casablanca-based Insaf association to support its action plan against child
labor and exploitation. The donation was handed by the US ambassador, in the presence
of secretary of state in charge of family, solidarity and social action, Yasmina
Badou, who said her department will contribute some 22,000 dollars to Insaf's
program. Insaf was founded in 1999 by volunteers, mainly doctors, attorneys and
entrepreneurs to support abandoned children and women facing difficulties.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040223/2004022325.html
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NW Medical Teams aids Morocco quake victims.
Portland's Northwest Medical
Teams is partnering with Boeing Co. and Royal Air Maroc to send medical supplies
to families devastated by the recent
earthquake in Morocco. More than
20,000 Moroccans are homeless and nearly 600 people are dead from the 6.5-magnitude
quake.
More than $900,000 in antibiotics, oral rehydration kits and bandages
will leave Seattle's Boeing Field Friday aboard a Royal Air Maroc flight.
Northwest Medical Teams said it has partnered with Boeing to send more than $350,000
worth of medical supplies to Morocco over the last seven years. Northwest
Medical Teams is a nonprofit humanitarian aid organization working to reduce suffering
around the world and in the Pacific Northwest. Its 2002-2003 operating budget
was $99 million.
http://portland.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2004/02/23/daily35.html?jst=b_ln_hl
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Morocco
at the heart of America's strategic alliance in Middle east, Congressmen.
Morocco-USA, Politics, 2/23/2004
"Morocco has always
been at the heart of America's strategic alliance in the Middle east'" and
has " repeatedly proven its friendship with the United
States,"
a group of Congressmen said in a letter sent recently to President George W. Bush.
"As the United States of America and the Kingdom of Morocco prepare to complete
an important Free Trade Agreement, we wish to commend you for your work to deepen
the US-Morocco friendship," said the letter addressed by this group made
up of 64 Congressmen, including the main leaders at the House of representatives.
After recalling the "Treaty of Peace and Friendship" signed between
Morocco and the United States on July 15, 1786, the Congressmen said this "historic
agreement remains the oldest unbroken treaty in the history of U.S. foreign relations."
"Over the past two centuries, Morocco has repeatedly proven its friendship
with the United States. From the crucial contributions of King Hassan II in the
1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt and throughout the Arab-Israeli peace
process, to Morocco's deepening commitment to democratic pluralism, Morocco has
always been at the heart of America's strategic alliance in the Middle East,"
wrote the letter.
The congressmen also hailed Morocco's cooperation with
the United States on terrorism saying: "most recently, Morocco under the
leadership of King Mohammed VI, has been an extraordinary ally in the War on terrorism.."
They mentioned in this regard, the Department of State's "Partners of Global
terrorism 2002 which cites Morocco's "solid record of vigilance against terrorist
activity and intolerance for the perpetrators of terrorism" in
2002.
"Morocco's commitment as a staunch ally has not wavered even in the face
of the tragic terrorist bombings that took place in Casablanca on May 16, 2003,"
they added. These attacks killed 45 people including the 12 suicide bombers.
"As Morocco continues to be a voice for moderation and democratic pluralism
in the Muslim World, the unique two century old relationship between the U.S.
and Morocco is set to expand with the completion of the U.S.-Morocco Free Trade
Agreement (FTA)," the letter went on. The Congressmen wished that this agreement
to be concluded in the few coming months, "will enhance the historic alliance
between the United States and Morocco for centuries to come." They called
on the Bush Administration to support Morocco, "a key ally in the Muslim
world," saying "it is important that the U.S. continue to strongly support
Morocco on issues that concern our ally's national and regional security."
Among the signatories of the letter are the leader of the majority at the Congress,
the Republican Tom Delay, the leader of the Republicans at the House of Representatives,
Roy Blunt and other leading Democrats.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040223/2004022324.html
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Women
jog in Marrakesh to foster awareness of breast cancer.
Morocco, Local,
2/26/2004
The Casablanca-based association "Coeur de
Femmes" will hold next March 7 the first "race of hope" to foster
women's awareness of the breast cancer upsurge. The 5km race coincides with the
world women day. A massive participation is expected as 5,000 women have already
enlisted
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040226/2004022624.html
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morocco Adopts Landmark Family Law Supporting Women's Equality.
Women's Learning Partnership (WLP) and our partner organization l'Association Démocratique des Femmes du Maroc (ADFM) are pleased to report that on January 25, 2004, the government of Morocco adopted a new landmark Family Law supporting women's equality and granting them new rights in marriage and divorce, among others.
In April 2001, efforts to pass similar family law reforms were suspended while
a Consultative Commission established by His Majesty King Mohammed VI studied
the possibility of revising the Moudawana, Morocco's Civil Status Code that encompassed
family law governing women's status. The continued advocacy and awareness-raising
efforts of women's rights activists, strong backing by government leaders such
as Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi, and the personal public support of HM
King Mohammed VI contributed to the Commission's decision in favor of a reformed
Moroccan Family Law. In October 2003, almost two and a half years after the establishment
of the Commission, HM King Mohammed VI publicly announced new reforms creating
a modern Family Law consistent with the tolerant spirit of Islam and "lifting
the iniquity imposed on women, protecting children's rights, and safeguarding
men's dignity." During the fall and winter of 2003, women's rights organizations,
organized within the "Printemps de l'Egalité" network, analyzed the
details of the draft legislation's text and organized workshops, round tables,
and discussion groups to prepare for renewed lobbying efforts in Parliament and
to educate the public about the reforms. On February 3, 2004, the Presidents of
both houses of Parliament presented the unanimously approved new Family Law to
HM King Mohammed VI. The new legislation replaces the family law included in the
Moudawana and includes the following reforms:
Equality:
* Husband and
wife share joint responsibility for the family;
* The wife is no longer legally
obliged to obey her husband;
* The adult woman is entitled to self-guardianship,
rather than that of a male family member, and may exercise it freely and independently;
* The minimum age of marriage is 18 for both men and women.
Divorce:
* The right to divorce is a prerogative of both men and women, exercised
under judicial supervision;
* The principle of divorce by mutual consent
is established.
Polygamy:
* Polygamy is subject to the judge's authorization
and to stringent legal conditions, making the practice nearly impossible;
* The woman has the right to impose a condition in the marriage contract requiring
that her husband refrain from taking other wives;
* If there is no pre-established
condition, the first wife must be informed of her husband's intent to remarry,
the second wife must be informed that her husband-to-be is already married, and
moreover, the first wife may ask for a divorce due to harm suffered.
Enforcement
of Law:
* The Family Law assigns a key role to the judiciary in upholding
the rule of law and provides for the public prosecutor to be a party to every
legal action involving the enforcement of Family Law stipulations.
Children's
Rights:
* The woman is given the possibility of retaining custody of her
child even upon remarrying or moving out of the area where her husband lives;
* The child's right to acknowledgment of paternity is protected in that case
that the marriage has not been officially registered.
http://www.learningpartnership.org/events/newsalerts/morocco0204.phtml#adfmdoc
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Berber textbook goes on display.
A Berber cultural institute in Morocco says the first textbook aimed at teaching
children how to read and write the Berber language will be on
display on Sunday
at a book fair in Casablanca. The director of the Royal Institute of Berber
culture, Dr Ahmad Boukous, told the BBC that although three dialects of Berber
were spoken all over the country, not many people knew how to write the script,
called tifinagh. The majority of Moroccans are of Berber origin and many
speak one of its dialects, but Arabic is still the official language. Activists
are demanding Berber should be given official status. Last September the
government allowed the language to be taught in schools alongside other languages
such as English and French. From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3490863.stm
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morocco-US Hold 7th FTA
Round in Washington
WASHINGTON, Feb.26
Moroccan
delegated minister of foreign affaires and cooperation and chief negotiator for
a free trade agreement with the US, Taieb Fassi Fihri, is leading the Moroccan
team for the 7th round of talks. Talks are at an advanced stage in several sectors.
Negotiators have held 6 rounds of negotiations alternately in Morocco and the
USA, since the project to conclude the agreement was first announced in April
2002 during a visit of HM king Mohammed VI to Washington. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
----------------------------------------------------------
Former US Coach to Head Morocco's Bid to Host 2010 Football World Cup
WASHINGTN, Feb.27
Former coach of the US football team, Alan
Rothenberg, said he will head Morocco's bid to host the 2010 world cup finals
for "Morocco is a showcase of all the things people are trying to advocate
- it is tolerant, stable and democratizing. The former US soccer president said
"the world needs this showcase of a tolerant, progressive Muslim state more
than anything else," and "FIFA should be proud to showcase these attributes,"
Rothenberg told Sports Ticker from his Los Angeles office.
This is Morocco's
fourth candidacy to host the world's most prestigious football event, which FIFA
already has said will be staged in Africa. FIFA
will announce on May 15 which
of Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, Egypt and South Africa will host the 2010 world cup
finals. Rothenberg has brought a host of American experts to aid the Moroccan
bid, including former U.S. Soccer general secretary Hank Steinbrecher and Bob
Stiles, who was second in command at the 1999 Women's World Cup and is involved
in San Francisco's 2012 Olympic bid. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Four Arab
countries sign a free trade agreement in Rabat.
RABAT, Feb 25 (KUNA)
Foreign Ministers of Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia, and Egypt signed here Wednesday
the Aghadeer Agreement establishing a joint free trade zone.
Moroccan FM Muhammed
bin Essa, Egyptian FM Ahmed Maher, Jordanian FM Marwan Al-Shara', and Tunisian
FM Al-Habib bin Yahya signed the agreement. The agreement aims at establishing
a free trade zone between the four countries, based on the fact that these countries
have agreements with the EU. The four countries aim at improving the economical
activities, production, all economical fields, and the living conditions.
A committee formed of the ministries of commerce will follow up on executing the
terms and conditions of the agreement, which is considered an important step in
the European-Middle East free market, which will be established in 2010. The agreement
will be open for all other Middle Eastern countries to join in.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=KUN0108040225163008§ion=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
------------------------------------------------------------------
Morocco opens skies to boost
travel.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004 RABAT, Morocco (Reuters)
Morocco has fully liberalized air transport to the country to help it meet ambitious targets for the development of its key tourism sector, Transport and Equipment Minister Kharim Ghellab said. "Foreign airlines should look at the great opportunities offered by our liberalized air transport," Ghellab told Reuters in a recent interview. "They can get in touch with me directly". From February 12, flagship or low-cost airlines have been able to operate scheduled or charter flights to Morocco from any airport abroad. Previously, flagship carriers could only operate scheduled flights to Morocco and charter firms could only fly foreign tourists to the Muslim kingdom. Ghellab said liberalization should boost Morocco's competitiveness as a destination, part of the country's efforts to double the number of foreign tourists to 10 million by 2010.
The country also wants to double hotel capacity to 170,000 beds by the end of the decade with five new resorts and to double employees in the sector to 1.2 million. Passenger traffic is forecast to rise by 300 percent to 16.5 million in 2010 and the number of flights to and from Morocco should more than double to 1,300 per week, Ghellab said, with an average 80 new flights added each year. "New flights will have to be programmed as we develop our hotel infrastructure," said Ghellab, a graduate of Paris Ecole Polytechnique and the government's youngest minister at 37.
Flagship carrier Royal Air Maroc (RAM) now controls around 60 percent of passenger traffic of 5.8 million per year. European and Middle Eastern airlines dominate foreign firms currently serving Morocco, including Air France, British Airways, Alitalia, Iberia and Emirates. Ghellab said the liberalization offered major incentives to international operators. "Any airline that opens a regular route to Morocco will get exclusive rights for it for one year together with significant discounts on airport fees," he said.
Morocco in January privatized airport handling
services, then controlled by RAM. Ghellab said RAM, which is no longer on
the privatization list, would not get any favorable treatment. "RAM
will abide, as other foreign airlines, by the same liberalization guidebook,"
he said, noting that the firm would operate a low-cost subsidiary by October.
Ghellab said traditional tourism markets such as France, Germany, Britain, Italy,
Spain and the Middle East would be the main targets of the liberalization promotion
efforts. "We expect the liberalization to raise the European Union's
current share of 75 percent of air traffic," he said. Internal air
transport, now under the control of RAM and Regional Airlines, will be liberalized
within a year, he added. RAM has 33 aircraft and serves 60 airports in 40
countries. Regional Airlines is a minor local player that serves mainly Spain,
Portugal and Moroccan cities, using small jets.
http://www.cnn.com/2004/TRAVEL/02/24/biz.trav.morocco.reut/index.html
----------------------------------------------------------------
Cup a tool for peace: Morocco
24.02.2004 MARRAKESH
Morocco's soccer World Cup bid team
plans to launch a US$200 million ($289 million) initiative to fight Africa's problems
through sport if Morocco hosts the 2010 World Cup finals. The North African
nation's bid chief, Saad Kettani, said he believed Morocco could use the finals
as an instrument of peace that would leave a legacy of hope for the whole continent.
"This could be an initiative that helps fight to eliminate Aids in Africa,
to improve education and to tackle terrorism," he said. "Sport
can do so much and this is the way forward. There is a lot of support for this
already in Africa and in the Arabian Gulf." South Africa, Egypt, Libya
and Tunisia are all in the running to host the 2010 finals, to be staged in Africa.
World soccer's governing body, Fifa, will announce the tournament's host nation
on May 15. Kettani said if Morocco was successful it would transfer to the
new initiative the Fifa funds provided to to help with running costs. The
scheme, Football Without Frontiers, would use sport, , and football in particular,
to fight terrorism, ill-health and despair all over a continent wracked by poverty
and disease. Fifa gave next year's World Cup finals host, Germany, about
US$200 million to run their local organising committee. M'hamed Zeghari,
of the Morocco bid team, said the cash would pay for artificial pitches, football
club facilities, balls, kit and other materials vital to spread the sport all
over the continent.
This would create something special for young people
all over Africa and "help us with education, [tackling] terrorism and many
things, and give real hope for the future."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sports/sportsstorydisplay.cfm?storyID=3550913&thesection=sport&thesubsection=soccer&thesecondsubsection=worldcup
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Morocco to boost fish exports
Feb 23, 2004 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX)
Morocco's new fisheries
strategy will produce a 2 million tons per annum by 2007, including 15,000 tons
in aquaculture, with a rise in fish exports that can reach 200 billion dirhams
(US$ 22.2 billion). According to MAP, through this policy, the fisheries
department aims to create 90,000 direct and indirect jobs and ensuring food security
by encouraging local consumption of fish, so that it reaches 14 kg per individual
by 2007 (from an aveage 7 kg/per person presently). By Al-Bawaba Reporters
(C) 2004 Albawaba.com, All rights reserved.
http://www.zawya.com/Story.cfm?id=054w0363§ion=Countries&page=Morocco&channel=All%20Morocco%20News&objectid=22403786-8F1A-11D4-867000D0B74A0D7C
--------------------------------------------------------------
Zaki: Morocco's Magic Man
Vanguard
(Lagos) February 21, 2004 Richard Animam
Morocco's rise from pre-tournament
no-hopers to Nations Cup finalists shocked pundits, fans, and even the players
themselves. It was based on inspired coaching from Badou Zaki, and the talents
of a largely young squad, many of whom had been born or at least developed in
France.
Crucially, the group seemed to fear nothing, and the players'
relaxed, carefree attitude and evident closeness were real strengths over a three-week
tournament. I covered Senegal's rise to prominence for the BBC over the last few
years, and the similarities are striking. Substitute Bruno Metsu for Badou Zaki,
and you are all but looking at a mirror image.
When Talal El Karkouri
told me in the Morocco team hotel in Monastir that manager Zaki was "a friend,
a brother, a father" to the team, I stifled a smile. El Hadji Diouf had used
exactly the same evocative phrase about Metsu. When El Karkouri went on to describe
the advantages his team drew from the European background many of the players
come from, I could have been listening to an analysis of Senegal two years ago.
Cynics would say the similarities extend to the end result: like Senegal two years
ago, Morocco lost in the final. Tunisia 2004 also seemed to mark the Teranga Lions'
fall from grace, as they crashed out in the quarter-finals.
The Moroccans must now learn from the Senegalese sporting disaster. Of course,
this group of Atlas Lions have yet to shine at the World Cup, as Senegal did in
2002, but that is something they intend to put right. "There is no limit
to this team's ambition," was the way El Karkouri expressed it. If they are
to avoid the traps the Teranga Lions tripped into, those of the Atlas variety
must not let this temporary success go to their heads. For my money, there is
one significant difference between the two teams that will prove critical. Senegal's
emblematic figure throughout these last few years has been El Hadji Diouf, a frustratingly
gifted yet infuriatingly inconsistent and immature individual.
http://allafrica.com/stories/200402230217.html
-----------------------------------------------------------
EIB
lends EUR20 million to Morocco for drinking water and environmental protection
- Al Bawaba
Feb 22, 2004 (Al-Bawaba via COMTEX) -- The French
Development Agency (AFD) signed a EUR20 million convention with Morocco's drinking
water utility ONEP to finance a supply and sewage program for 20 small localities
in Khemisset and Tiflet. Some 113,000 residents will benefit from the water supply
program and 180,000 from the new sewage system, reported MAP. ONEP has so
far received EUR66.5 million from AFD. In 2002, the development agency awarded
the Moroccan electricity utility (ONE) a $34.7 million) loan to co-finance the
third phase of the Rural Electrification General Program (PERG). - (menareport.com)
By Mena Report Reporters (C) 2004 Albawaba.com, All rights reserved.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Morocco-US pact sparks protest
By Ilhem Rachidi RABAT Middle East Times
A coalition of NGOs this week denounced a proposed free trade agreement between Morocco and the United States, saying the negotiation process had been 'opaque,' while the agreement itself threatened cultural diversity and access to medical treatment. The wide ranging impact of the proposed agreement has drawn together a disparate group of protesters, from the Moroccan Association of Human Rights to the Association Against Aids. "The free trade agreement with the US will engage Morocco for decades, and it will have a direct effect on the daily lives of Moroccans. This is why we think maximum transparency is indispensable," said Hakima Himmich, president of ALCS (the Association Against AIDS). ALCS is particularly concerned about articles of the proposed agreement covering the protection of patents, which extend the current 20-year period - defined by World Trade Organization rules - after which 'new' molecules are considered within the public domain.
Critics argue that the terms will greatly limit the trade in generic medicines, enabling pharmaceutical companies to monopolize the Moroccan market. New treatments for infectious diseases such as AIDS or hepatitis will, they say, be unaffordable for most patients. "AIDS patients and others affected by pathologies for which there is an efficient treatment cannot wait 30 years, 20 years, five years - not even a month to be treated. For a lot of patients, no treatment is a death sentence," said Himmich. If the agreement is signed this spring, as expected, Morocco will be only the second Arab state - after Jordan, which signed an agreement in 2000 - to establish a free trade area with the US. But the proposed agreement has prompted wide ranging protests - and a stern response from the authorities. A sit-in organized by human rights activists, artists, and doctors in Rabat last month was violently dispersed by police.
Several protesters sustained injuries in the police action, including filmmaker Nabil Ayouch and the president of the Moroccan Association of Human Rights (AMDH), Abdel Hamid Amine. "We have been appalled by the degree of violence of local authorities," said Muhammad AlBoukili, an AMDH member who attended the sit-in. "They didn't even try to break up the demonstrators as required by law - repeating three times, over loudspeakers [that we had to leave]. They started pushing people, hitting them with their cudgels." AMDH is opposed to the free trade agreement with the US because it "does not respect certain fundamental rights of Moroccan citizens," said Boukili - not least "the right to health." Earlier this month Moroccan communications minister and government spokesman Nabil Benabdellah met representatives from the main sectors likely to be affected by the agreement - the pharmaceutical and medical industries, agriculture, and culture - to discuss any 'ambiguities' in the negotiation process. The meeting followed a call from the parliamentary Socialist Alliance Group for more open discussion of the free trade agreement and its possible impact on Morocco. Indeed, the US itself acknowledges that the agreement will entail difficult reforms in Morocco. An economic advisor at the United States Embassy in Rabat, who asked to remain anonymous, said that while Morocco would probably benefit from the establishment of a free trade area in the long term, such an agreement would nevertheless involve "painful" adjustments.
The
agricultural sector is set to bear the brunt of any changes, particularly peasant
farmers who will be unable to compete with the might of subsidized US farmers.
"This will affect the local market and kill Moroccan farmers," said
Boukili. Outside Morocco, support for the anti-free trade coalition is growing.
European deputy Didier-Claude Rod has urged Morocco to renegotiate the agreement,
saying, "If Morocco yields, this might create a precedent that will make
the resistance of other developing countries more difficult." Representatives
of Moroccan groups opposed to the agreement will meet European parliamentary leaders
in Paris this week.
http://www.metimes.com/2K4/issue2004-8/methaus.htm
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About
100,000 Hectares Sprayed in Morocco, Locust Situation under control
RABAT, Feb.25
The locust situation in Morocco is presently
under control as 100,000 hectares in the southern cities of Dakhla, Laayoune,
Guelmim and Tata were sprayed with pesticides, said here Tuesday officials from
the anti-locust central coordination post. Since February 15, Morocco is witnessing
an increase in the locusts coming from Mauritania, says the task group in charge
of coordinating the anti-locust action, adding that considerable technical and
human means were deployed to face any potential hopper incursion.
They
also predicted that the pests will continue to move to Morocco next May and June
and in the mid term, the incursions will continue but their size depends on the
success of locust control action by the other affected countries. The experts
said the surveillance and control action which started on Nov.8 are ready for
immediate ground action. Morocco has mobilized various types of jets, including
c130 aircraft and helicopters, prospecting equipment, in addition to ground vehicles,
personnel and control equipment. In addition to the central command post,
regional coordination posts were also established in the most affected southern
regions. Since 1947, Morocco has faced several locust plagues, the most serious
of which occurred in 1987 and 1989, requiring the spraying of about 4.5 million
hectares. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Mufti
of Marseille Praises "Bold" Family Code Reforms in Morocco
MARSEILLE, Feb.23
The mufti of Marseille, Soheib Bencheikh,
hailed the bold decision made by King Mohammed VI to reform the family code as
"a giant step for Islam and Muslims". With this new reform, Morocco
is more than ever before future-oriented and is marking its access to the century,
The mufti, who was taking part in a conference in Marseille on the French new
law to ban headscarves in schools, told MAP correspondent in this French port
city. The Muslim religious leader stressed that the Moroccan move "encourages
us and consolidates our steps toward modernity and equality".
The
Algerian-born French Mufti also hoped that other countries will follow suit to
Morocco and called similar tendencies in other Muslim countries as "encouraging
signs that Muslims have to adapt to modern times and refuse that the Islamic religion
be associated with archaism and regression." The young religious leader,
a graduate of the Egyptian prestigious Al-Azhar mosque, also said he was honoured
to be involved by the Moroccan civil
society in this project and paid tribute
to the courage of Moroccan women who refused to be intimated by the controversy
that broke out over the first Mudawana amendment projects.
Of the French
headscarf ban, the Mufti of Marseille regretted that several young Muslims are
making a radical, legal and narrow interpretation of Islam that leaves no room
for spirituality and humanism. MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Moroccan
expert criticizes shortcomings of Arab human rights charter
Regional-Morocco,
Politics, 2/21/2004
Moroccan jurist, Khalid Naciri, who chairs
the Arab standing human rights Committee, said the new Arab charter of human rights
is a headway compared to the 1994 charter but is short of the universal declaration
of human rights. Naciri told MAP office in Cairo following the committee's
meeting this week the new project, that will be submitted to the upcoming session
of the Arab League council, still contains some shortcomings, mostly as regards
its reference to some freedom-restricting legislation in force in some Arab states.
He cited in this regard the charter's failure to make a clear mention of
elections transparency and honesty and its superficial reference to education
to human rights, through the rejection of hatred and discrimination advocacy.
He went on that the committee he chairs had the ambition to draw a charter that
is more attuned to international legality and to the world's openness and democratic
progress. He deemed it would have been appropriate to grant more importance to
the culture of tolerance and political openness.
He went on that the
Moroccan experience is a pilot one in the Arab states as it produced evidence
that democracy and the respect of human rights are not contradictory with Islam.
Likewise, he went on, the laws largely exceed the minimum required in the Arab
human rights charter.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040221/2004022121.html
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Morocco,
international justice NGO sign cooperation protocol
Morocco-UK, Judicial,
2/21/2004
A cooperation protocol was signed in Rabat Friday
by the Moroccan Justice ministry and the international NGO "Search for Common
ground" (SFCG), in partnership with the London-based British Human Rights
Association. This project, financed by the British government, aims at modernizing
the methods and means in settling legal conflicts and enhancing Moroccan citizens'
confidence on these alternative means.
The cooperation protocol, which
was signed by the Moroccan Justice Minister, Mohamed Bouzoubaa, and the representative
of the SFCG in Morocco, Oussama Safa, in the presence of the UK ambassador in
Morocco, Haydon Warren-Grash, aims also at facilitating the means of reaching
satisfactory solutions for all the parties in a conflict. The protocol, to be
implemented in two years, provides for training sessions both in Morocco and in
the UK, the creation of a semi-independent institution in charge of mediation
for the settlement of legal and trade litigations and the launching of a public
awareness campaign on alternative methods for settling conflicts.
The
Justice Minister greeted the participation of the British government in financing
the project, stressing the importance of the protocol in strengthening the legal
system reforms undertaken by Morocco and accelerating the processing of pending
cases in Moroccan courts due to the shortage in magistrates.
The British
ambassador hailed as "historic" the reforms in the Moroccan legal system,
citing in this regard the newly enacted Family Code. He underlined the British
government's resolve to enhance bilateral cooperation in the field of justice.
"Search For Common Ground" is an American-Belgian NGO, which aims at
changing the ways whereby societies perceive conflicts and promoting dialogue
and reconciliation.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040221/2004022116.html
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Air
transport liberalization necessary for the sector's growth, Minister
Morocco, Economics, 2/21/2004
The liberalization of the Moroccan
air transport is necessary to accompany the growth of this sector, said, here
Thursday, the Moroccan minister of equipment and Transport who noted that this
strategy is part of the kingdom's vision to attract 10 million tourists by the
year 2010. Karim Ghellab told Moroccan second TV channel 2M that liberalization
is the product of a political will voiced during the annual Convention on tourism
held in 2003.
The choice was confirmed during the 2004 tourism convention
by King Mohammed VI who insisted that liberalization of air transport will reduce
the costs of air transport, and increase the number of flights. The sovereign
called the national carrier "to make the necessary adjustment so that, in
addition to the traditional services offered, it can run low-cost and charter
flights on a competitive basis." As far as the Moroccan airline Royal Air
Maroc "RAM" is concerned, he pledged that the national company will
be provided by all necessary means to face competition following the liberalization
of the Moroccan sky. "RAM should be treated on an equal footing with the
other airlines," he insisted.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040221/2004022119.html
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Morocco
calls for reorganizing markets to the benefit of small farmers
Morocco,
Economics, 2/21/2004
Head of the Moroccan delegation
to the 27th annual session of the Governors Council of the Rome-based International
Fund of Agricultural Development (IFAD) on Thursday called for re-organizing local
markets to help small farmers market their products and reduce the intervention
of intermediary subsidiaries.
Addressing participants in this meeting
(February 18-19) in Rome, Hassan Benabderrazik, Secretary general of the Moroccan
Agriculture Ministry lauded as "particularly important" the theme of
"Rural Commerce and Development: stakes and perspectives for poor rural populations
"selected by initiative of IFAD chairman, Lennart Bage, to the governors
council.
This initiative, he said, "incites us to speed up efforts
to ponder on means of re-organizing local markets to help small farmers sell their
products and establish agriculture cooperatives in order to improve their income
and reduce the number of trade intermediaries."
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040221/2004022118.html
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HM
King Mohammed VI Underlines Compatibility between Islamic Ideals and Universal
Human Rights Standards.
MARRAKESH, Feb.27
HM King
Mohammed VI underlined this Friday before human rights ministers from French-speaking
countries that "Islamic ideals and values, which are based on the respect
for human dignity, freedom, equality, justice and solidarity, are in line with
universal standards and principles", stressing that the set of bold measures
taken in Morocco illustrate this.
In a message to participants in the
follow-up committee of the human rights national institutions of French-speaking
countries, meeting in Marrakesh this Feb.27-28, the sovereign cited as part of
reforms illustrating Islam's compatibility with universal human rights standards
the reform of the Family Law, which does justice to women and protects the rights
of children, the creation of new institutions and mechanisms to serve citizens
and ensure effective exercise of human rights, in addition to enhancing the autonomy
and expanding the powers of bodies and institutions in charge of human rights
and freedom of expression, to safeguard pluralism and consolidate the democratic
process.
The new family law "does justice to women by removing the
iniquities endured by them and putting them on equal footing with men as far as
rights and obligations are concerned. The new Family Law is also meant to protect
the rights of children and preserve the dignity of men, within a united, jointly-managed
family." The royal message, read out by human rights minister, Mohamed Aujjar,
also listed the creation of an audio-visual communication Authority and the restructuring
of Advisory Council for human rights, in addition to encouraging greater involvement
of civil society and enhancing the participation of women in constitutional institutions
and in senior civil service positions.
"Likewise, went on the sovereign,
an ombudsman's office, known as Diwan al-Madhalim, has been created to serve as
a mediator between citizens ... for the purpose of ensuring fair treatment, promoting
equity and consolidating the rule of law."
Other measures underscored
by HM the king include the creation of a Justice and Reconciliation Commission,
"in order to heal the wounds of victims of arbitrary detention and forced
disappearance."
Morocco's ten-year education and training charter
also includes a specific program on the human rights practice and culture, said
HM the king, insisting that responsible citizenship and respect for human rights
are Morocco's bulwark against the perils currently threatening the world, and
against all forms of terror, including insidious intellectual terrorism.
"We also mean to fight bigotry and intolerance, and take the necessary measures
to foster a tradition of respect for others and for the right to be different",
in keeping with "unwavering commitment to human rights and the promotion
of the culture of democracy, while always remaining open to state-of-the-art experiences
and legislation in other countries."
The messag <../speeches/francoph_8.htm>e
urther stressed that Morocco does confine belonging to Francophony in its sheer
language aspect, but "considers the common values of the Francophony and
its cultural and human heritage to be the legacy of a specific historical period,"
which drawbacks Morocco and France have succeeded in overcoming to build a model
strategic partnership based on linguistic diversity, cultural interaction and
the spread of the Francophony to other fields.
After hailing the performance
of the International Francophony Organization, which musters over 50 countries,
and its steady commitment to fostering cultural diversity, HM the king expressed
Morocco's readiness to put its experience at the disposal of other member-states,
reckoning that each experience has its specific cultural background.
Democratic practice remains the most effective means to face today's challenges;
the exercise of democracy is also our ultimate goal for the fulfillment of the
legitimate aspirations of current and future generations", the royal message
concluded. The Marrakesh conference is bringing together human rights and justice
ministers from 24 countries, as well as human rights militants, magistrates and
legal experts. This is the first session of the follow-up committee. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Morocco
eyes 2 million Tons/year fish production by 2007
Morocco, Economics,
2/23/2004
Morocco's new fisheries strategy will enable a
2 million ton annual production by 2007, including 15,000 T in aquaculture, with
a rise in fish
exports that can reach 200 billion dirhams (US$ 22.2 billion).
Through this policy, the fisheries department aims to create 90,000 direct and
indirect jobs and ensuring food security by encouraging local consumption of fish,
so that it reaches 14 kg per individual by 2007 (from an aveage 7 kg/per person
presently), the ministry said in a release. The new policy, which includes revision
of the legal, institutional and organizational frameworks, introduces a new exploitation
concept based on precise scientific data.
According to the document,
investments worth 20 billion dirham (USD 2.2 billion) were made in the sector
by the department or the private sector.
The release said the 2003 production
will be close to that of 2002, i.e. 930,000T for a 5.3 billion DH ($580 million)
value.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040223/2004022328.html
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HM
King Mohammed VI Launches Construction of Girls Protection Center, Two Socio-Cultural
Centers Near Agadir.
AGADIR, Feb.23
HM King Mohammed
VI launched this Monday construction works of a regional center for the protection
of girls in a difficult situation and of two socio-cultural centers in the localities
of Bensergao and Taddart, near Agadir. The center for the protection and
rehabilitation of girls comprises 25 flats with an accommodation capacity of 240
beds, a multi-usage room, a multi-media library and training workshops. It is
the third center of the
kind after those of Casablanca and Fez.
Construction
works are estimated to cost 10 million DH to be financed by the Mohammed VI Foundation
for the rehabilitation of inmates, the Southern Foundation for development and
solidarity and the secretariat of state in charge of youth.
During his
visit to the center, Ms Assia El Ouadia, a member of the administrative board
of the Mohammed VI foundation for the rehabilitation of inmates presented the
sovereign with a historic picture of his late grandfather, King Mohammed V, at
the gate of the Kenitra prisons when the late king had ordered in 1955 the release
of all occupation resisters who were detained by the French protectorate authorities.
The sovereign also launched the construction of two socio-cultural centers,
to cost an overall 6 million DH (about US$ 7,000) funded by the Mohammed V solidarity
foundation, the government and the Agadir local authorities. The centers
are designed to offer the youth training, sports and arts facilities to unleash
their creativity and help in the integration of destitute children. MAP
2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
-----------------------------------------------------------------
HM
King Mohammed VI Dedicates center of sea products technologies in Agadir
AGADIR (Southern Morocco), Feb.23
HM King Mohammed VI
dedicated this Monday in the locality of Anza, near Agadir, a specialized center
for sea products technology and development. The 100 million DH (around $11 million)
project covers a 1.5 ha surface and includes bacteriology, chemistry and biotechnology
labs, a sea products processing unit, a water tank, an electric adaptor, an electric
generator, a waste-water processing unit and other dependencies. The center financed
by a Japanese donation will conduct studies on processing sea products and help
improve analysis systems, in collaboration with the sector professionals.
The sovereign was also briefed on a fish unloading facility in the locality
of Immi Ouadder, 27 km north of Agadir. The project, worth 10 million DH
(US$ 1.15 million) aims at breaking the isolation of this coastal area by promoting
economic activity, increasing the level of sea foods availability, improve seamen's
economic and social conditions and create new job opportunities. It also seeks
to improve the income of seamen, re-organize the traditional fishing sector and
provide healthy conditions for the selling of fish. It includes 76 fishermen's
shops and a fish market endowed with freezing equipment and a fuel warehouse.
© MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
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Moroccan
academic unveils finds on historic journey of Moroccan 14th C Traveler
RABAT, Feb.23
Professor Abdelhadi Tazi, member of the
Academy of the kingdom, has unveiled that Moroccan global trotter Ibn Battouta
has made a second travel to Damascus in 1327, a leg of his travel that was overlooked
by a reference-book on Ibn Battouta written by Ibn Jouzai in 1356. This
is an important part of Ibn Battuta's journey that was overlooked and replaced
by another trip to Persia, arousing the suspicion of researchers such as British
Professor Sir Hamilton Gibb and Czech orientalist, Evan Herbek. France's Vincent
Monteil, who commented and annotated the 1854
translation of the journey by
Defremery and Sanguinetti also doubted the accuracy of these reports.
Pr. Tazi, a renowned Moroccan historian and member of the Arab academies and the
Arab-Argentine Institute, bases his assertion on a manuscript of Abu Abbas Qortobi
(dead in 1358) that was recopied by Ibn Battouta himself at the Damascus "Al
Azizya" school in mid 1327. The new discovery on the travels of Ibn
Battouta, will lift doubts on the credibility and itinerary of his journey.
The UN Educational, scientific and Cultural Organization -UNESCO, the Islamic
Educational, scientific and Cultural Organization -ISESCO and the Arab League
Educational, Cultural and scientific Organization -ALECSO will mark on February
24 the 700th anniversary of Ibn Battouta, whose journeys are considered as the
most important ones in human history. MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
------------------------------------------------------------------
EC
releases EURO 28 million of risk capital facility for Mediterranean countries
Brussels, Feb.23
The European Commission has
released under the MEDA program Euro 28 million of risk capital for some Mediterranean
countries including Morocco, EU sources announced here Monday. The other recipient
countries are: Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Tunisia and Palestine.
The facility will focus on upgrading the financial sector of these countries,
raising the competitiveness of their enterprise sector and will put emphasis on
privatization. Support will also be available to financial intermediaries active
in the region. The Risk Capital Facility is administered by FEMIP, a European
Investment Bank (EIB) facility created in 2002.
With the Risk Capital
Facility, the Commission expects to increase the economic and technological capability
of Mediterranean countries to open up their economies towards one another ("south-south
co-operation") as well as towards the European Union. In addition, the Facility
is intended to improve economic conditions in order to enable each country involved
to draw net-gains in terms of accelerated growth, additional and durable job
creation and balance-of-payments sustainability. The Risk Capital Facility
of the MEDA program reinforces own funds of private enterprises.
The latest Euro 28 million is the third installment of a Euro 100 million package
agreed in 2001. The first installment of Euro 50 million was released in 2001
and the second of Euro 22 million in 2003. The funds are provided through the
MEDA program, the financial and technical co-operation program of the EU with
Mediterranean partner countries. © MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Morocco 'militants' go to jail
A court in Morocco has sentenced 10 people to eight years' imprisonment for belonging
to a banned Muslim fundamentalist movement with the aim of committing terrorist
offences. All 10 men had pleaded not guilty to charges of carrying out activities
on behalf of the group, Salafia Jihadia.
That organisation is accused of
the suicide bomb attacks in the port city of Casablanca last May in which 45 people
died. The court in Rabat postponed the trials of 33 other suspects facing
the same charges until next month. From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3509829.stm
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Morocco,
Malaysia probe cooperation in IT use in administration
Morocco-Malaysia,
Local, 2/26/2004
A Moroccan delegation, led by Najib Zerouali
-minister of public services modernization, is visiting Malaysia to learn about
the Asian country's "remarkable" experience in the use of the new information
and communication technologies in administration.
A statement of the
public services modernization ministry says Zerouali will explore with Malaysian
interlocutors means to enhance bilateral cooperation in training and carry out
several joint projects agreed upon, including a master plan for the inception
of an e-government system in Morocco and support to the e-administration system
"Idarati."
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040226/2004022621.html
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Government
to unveil emergency plan to rebuild quake-stricken area, Minister.
Morocco, Local, 2/27/2004
The Moroccan Government will unveil,
early next week, an emergency plan to reconstruct buildings damaged by Tuesday's
powerful earthquake in the region of Al Hoceima (northeastern Morocco), said Thursday,
Moroccan Minister of Communication and Government's spokesman. Nabil Abdallah
who was briefing the media following the weekly Cabinet meeting, said the government
will also present the "broad lines of a plan supporting the economic activity
and speeding up the setting up of basic infrastructure in the region." According
to a latest toll, 571 people were killed and some 400 injured following the earthquake
of a magnitude of 6.5 on the Richter scale. He voiced the Government's resolve
to deal with this natural disaster and its impact on the human, economic and social
levels, "in the short, middle and long terms."
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040227/2004022716.html
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Morocco
Opens Account at Foreign Banks to Collect Funds for Quake Victims.
RABAT, Feb.27 - Morocco's central bank "Bank Al-Maghrib" has opened
a bank account at foreign banks for people wishing to make donations to help victims
of the powerful earthquake that jolted last Tuesday the Moroccan eastern region
of Al-Hoceima, killing at least 571 people, injuring over 400 and leaving thousands
of others homeless.
People wishing to can make their donations by doing
their transfer at any of the following banks to Bank Al-Maghrib's account (swift
code: BKAMMAMR):
Europe:
In Paris, Banque de France, Paris, Swiftcode:BDFEFRPPCCT
In Frankfurt, Deutsch Bundesbak, Swiftcode:MARKDEFF
In London, Bank of England,
Swiftcode:BKENGB2L
In Rome, Banca d'Italia, Swiftcode: BITAITRR
In Madrid,
Banco de Espana, Swiftcode: ESPBESMM
In Vienna, Oesterreichische Nationalbank,
Swiftcode: NABAATWW
In Helsinki, Suomen Pankki- Finlands Bank, Swiftcode:
PFBFIHH
In Amsterdam: ABN Amro Bank, NV, Swiftcode: ABNANL2A
In Lisbon,
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA, Swiftcode: BBVAPTPL
In Brussels, Fortis
Bank S.A/N.V, Brussels, Swiftcode: GEBABEBB
Middle East:
In Riyadh,
Riyadh Bank, swiftcode: RIBLSARI
In Kuwait, Central Bank of Kuwait, Swiftcode:
CBKUKWKW
In Abu Dhabi, Central Bank of the U.A.E, Swiftcode: CBAUAEAA
North America:
In New York, Federal Reserve Bank, Swiftcode: FRNYUS33
In Toronto, Royal Bank of Canada, Swiftcode: ROYCCAT2
A bank account (101)
was opened at Morocco's Central Bank "Bank Al Maghrib" for people who
wish to donate money to help the victims.
© MAP 2004
http://www.map.co.ma/mapeng/eng.htm
-----------------------------------------------------
International
aid continue to rush to Morocco, as quake-stricken populations spent 2nd night
out
Morocco, Local, 2/26/2004
Populations
of the northeastern region of Al-Hoceima, caught in their sleep on Tuesday (2:30
am GMT and local time) by a powerful 6 magnitude quake, spent their night in the
open or inside tents, as planeloads of international aid continue to land in the
major city's airport. Moroccan interior minister, Al Mustapha Sahel, on Wednesday
night put the toll at 571 dead people and 300 injured, but said the figure is
still a provisional one. He also promised a program to re-build the houses that
were destroyed and that owners of cracked lodgings will be given free expertise.
Moroccan authorities said they were erecting camps to accommodate populations
in the city of Al-Hoceima and in the neighboring villages and hamlets.
Meanwhile, several aftershocks continued to rock the mountainous area, with one
that measured 4.5 on Wednesday, killing one person in the locality of Imzouren
(16 km south of Al-Hoceima) and causing the collapse of two houses.
A
C-130 aircraft dispatched by the Mohammed V solidarity foundation landed this
morning in Al Hoceima, carrying 540 mattresses, a kitchen vehicle and big tents.
International aid continues to pour into the region while Moroccans start to organize
and send most needed foodstuff, medicine, blankets and other items to the victims.
In the airport of Al-Hoceima, aircrafts loaded with rescue teams, sniffer dogs,
equipment, medicine dispatched by countries from all the over the world continue
to land.
From Arab countries, the United Arab Emirates' red crescent
has donated the quake victims US$ 10 million and a women's delegation from the
UAE red crescent will be traveling to the region to assess damages and the needs
of women and children. On Wednesday, a second Algerian aircraft loaded with tents,
blankets and food landed in the airport as several other planes are expected this
Thursday from the neighbor country. Kuwait, whose embassy in Rabat postponed celebrations
of the national day in solidarity with the victims, also announced it will be
sending an emergency humanitarian assistance to the victims, while two Egyptian
military aircrafts took off this Thursday with the first batch of humanitarian
aid consisting of 33 tons of medicine, blankets and tents.
Spain announced
this Thursday it is earmarking Morocco EURO 20 million, including 10 million in
Moroccan debt-swap and 10 million others to finance the purchase of Spanish goods
and services and to re-build houses.
The USA has sent disaster and medical
kits that can be used to treat 30,000 people for up to a month while the Utah
National Guards are expected to deliver additional disaster relief supplies later
this week.
In Geneva, the United Nations said it was sending a six-member
disaster and coordination assessment team and was organizing a shipment of relief
supplies, while the European Commission unblocked 500,000 euros (625,000 dollars)
in emergency donations. Aid money was also offered by individual EU states, Japan
and the United States.
Japan has sent a 23-strong team of aid officials
and France sent sniffer dogs and was preparing two more planeloads of aid for
departure on Thursday.
Spain sent three truckloads as well as two Hercules
cargo planes carrying medicines and other aid.
The International Federation
of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies appealed for 1.8 million Euros to provide
tents, blankets, mattresses,
cooking facilities and food. The direst needs
for the moment are shelter and medical assistance to survivors.
King
Mohammed VI instructed the Government on Wednesday to speed up rescue operations
and assistance and to endow the staff on site with all the needed means and equipment
in order to give populations a shelter and take care of hygiene in the quake-stricken
regions.
A bank account (101) was opened at Morocco's Central Bank "Bank
Al Maghrib" for people who wish to donate money to help the victims.
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/040226/2004022618.html
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Spain's olive branch to
quake-hit Morocco.
February 27 2004
Madrid - Spain offered an
olive branch to Morocco on Thursday by pledging EUR20-million (about R160-million)
in aid and debt forgiveness in the wake of this week's devastating earthquake.
Spain, which has sometimes had strained relations with the North African country,
will provide EUR10-million of emergency funding and cancel a further EUR10-million
in debt, Spanish Economy Minister Rodrigo Rato said. Spain has already sent two
planeloads of equipment and 50 rescue workers to help the salvage efforts after
the quake that killed 571 people.
Just days before the quake an off-the-cuff
remark by Spanish Defence Minister Federico Trillo rekindled tensions between
the two neighbours over
a disputed Mediterranean islet. Trillo angered Morocco
when he told supporters last Friday he wished that a 2002 military crisis with
Rabat over the uninhabited island of Perejil, also known as Leila, had occurred
earlier to allow Spain to exploit fishing rights in Moroccan waters. The incident
set back attempts by Spain and Morocco to improve their relations since the 2002
dispute.
Fishing rights for Spanish fishermen off Morocco's Atlantic
coast have been a long-standing source of discord between the two nations. Other
issues adding to the strain have been illegal immigration and Spain's enclaves
of Ceuta and Melilla on the North African coast. Tense relations between countries
have sometimes been eased by one rushing to the other's aid after an earthquake.
Disaster relief has often served to ease tensions between states: the term
"earthquake diplomacy" was coined in 1999 when Greeks gave practical
help and financial assistance to Turkey after a severe quake that killed an estimated
17 000 people. The following month, Turks rushed to reciprocate when a lesser
tremor hit Athens, killing some 125 people. Relief also broke the ice between
bitter rivals India and Pakistan after a
devastating earthquake in India's
Gujarat province in 2001 prompted Pakistan to send tents and blankets. Spain also
announced on Thursday that it would double, to $100-million, its contribution
to a global fund to fight Aids.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=85&art_id=qw10778540440B215&set_id=1
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US Sends
Emergency Supplies And Relief Personnel to Morocco.
United States
Department of State (Washington, DC) / February 26, 2004
Stephen Kaufman
Washington, DC
Working with Moroccan government to address needs of
quake victims
In response to a devastating earthquake in Morocco that
left at least 571 people dead in the region of Al-Hoceima, the United States has
provided
$50,000 to the Moroccan Red Crescent Society, as well as emergency
relief supplies. According to information from the U.S. Agency for International
Development (USAID), the U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Thomas Riley declared a disaster
in the aftermath of the February 24 earthquake and requested the immediate release
of $50,000 in humanitarian assistance to Moroccan relief officials to help "respond
to emergency needs in the region."
"[W]e are trying to do everything
we can to help in this situation, obviously working very closely in responding
to the needs of the Moroccan
people, as expressed in our discussions with
the government," said State Department Spokesman Richard Boucher at the February
25 State Department briefing in Washington. Boucher said the Bush administration
has supplemented the resources and capabilities of its embassy in Rabat with disaster-assistance
experts who have been arriving in the country from Washington.
USAID
reported on February 25 that a six-member Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART)
composed of a Team Leader, Water and Sanitation Advisor, Program Officer, Information
Officer, Logistics and Communications Officer, and a Field Officer, had arrived
that day, with more DART personnel departing for Morocco on February 26.
The U.S. Embassy in Rabat reported that as of February 26, USAID's Office of Foreign
Disaster Assistance (OFDA) had shipped 10,000 wool blankets, 1000 tents, and three
World Health Organization Emergency Health Kits, designed to serve a population
of 30,000 for three months. The health kits are designed to meet initial primary
health care needs and contain drugs, medical supplies, and basic medical and sterilization
equipment. The shipments began arriving in Morocco on February 25. The embassy
said OFDA is also working to procure electric generators.
The State Department
also reported on February 25 that water pumping and purification units, water
containers and hygiene kits were being sent to assist the earthquake victims.
All of this assistance, including the blankets, tents and generators, is
in addition to the $50,000 contribution to the Moroccan Red Crescent Society,
it said.
According to the International Federation of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), the most affected areas of the earthquake are rural
villages in the Al-Hoceima region, where approximately 300,000 to 400,000 people
live in mud brick buildings, vulnerable to major temblors.
The IFRC issued
an appeal for $2.3 million to assist 30,000 people over the next six months. Aid
and rescue teams have also been arriving from countries all over the world, as
well as the United Nations and the European Commission, according to press reports.
Both Secretary of State Colin Powell and U.S. Ambassador Riley conveyed their
condolences and offered assistance to the Moroccan people through Moroccan Foreign
Minister Mohamed Benaissa, and the U.S. Embassy in Rabat has been responding to
specific aid requests from the Moroccan government. (The Washington File is a
product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of
State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov
.) http://allafrica.com/stories/200402260877.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Survivors struggle
with Morocco quake aftermath
Wed 25 February, 2004 10:16
By Souhail
Karam AL HOCEIMA, Morocco (Reuters)
Thousands of homeless Moroccans are struggling to rebuild their lives after a powerful earthquake, that killed nearly 600 people, forced survivors to spend the night in the open. Hopes dimmed on Wednesday of finding any more people alive in the rubble of devastated mud-brick homes in villages scattered around the Mediterranean port city of Al Hoceima. The death toll from Morocco's worst natural disaster in more than 40 years rose to at least 564, the health minister said. As dozens of aftershocks rippled across the mountainous region and rattled nerves, authorities feared the death toll could climb still higher when search-and-rescue teams reached hamlets far up the Rif mountains. First burials took place on Tuesday but the majority of corpses still lay in a makeshift morgue at Al Hoceima airport. In the village of Ait Kamara, 18 km (11 miles) to the south, many houses were flattened like cardboard boxes. "Here, 90 percent of the houses have been destroyed," deputy mayor Mohammed Amiou told Morocco's state MAP news agency. "Several small villages in the area are without electricity and everybody has left". Many people spent the night in the open or under sheeting and other makeshift shelters because their homes were destroyed. Many were home asleep when the quake, measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale, struck early on Tuesday in an area of between 300,000 and 400,000 people. "I woke up to a big bang, I don't even remember how I managed to escape from the house," said Abdelkhalek, a teacher who did not want to give his full name.
INTERNATIONAL
AID
The world community offered help. Former colonial power France was among
the first countries to pledge aid, including rescue workers with sniffer dogs
and clearance equipment. Algeria, Germany, Portugal, Spain and the United
States also offered help. With local help stretched to cope with the scale
of the disaster, international aid was welcome. Villagers, some digging with their
bare hands or shovels to search for survivors, said heavy equipment and sniffer
dogs were needed. "They sent the military which basically ordered us
to stop digging, but they couldn't do much themselves for lack of equipment,"
said Abdelkhalek, the teacher. His parents, three brothers and a sister
were killed when their home was reduced to rubble in the nearby hamlet of Ait
Abdelaziz where he said 70 percent of houses were destroyed. "My sister
was shouting, begging me to lift a big, heavy door under which she was trapped.
We could not, she died," he said, sobbing. In Al Hoceima, a fishing
port and beach resort of about 70,000 inhabitants, damage was limited but authorities
grappled with the dead, injured and homeless from nearby areas. "As
soon as we think we've seen all the dead and injured, more keep coming in ambulances,"
said a doctor at the main Mohammed V hospital, where dozens of corpses were laid
out.
Many of the injured were being treated in army barracks,
health centres and charity homes. Others were airlifted to the capital Rabat,
Casablanca and Meknes. North Africa's last major earthquake hit neighbouring
Algeria last May. It measured 6.8 on the Richter scale and killed 2,300 people
near the capital Algiers. Morocco, situated on the northwest corner of the
African continent and separated from Europe by the narrow Strait of Gibraltar,
suffered its worst recorded quake in 1960. It destroyed the Atlantic city of Agadir,
killing 12,000 people. MAP said King Mohammed, whose country of some 30
million people is a constitutional monarchy, planned to visit the disaster area.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=464033§ion=news
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Morocco king to visit quake area.
King Mohammed VI is expected to arrive in Morocco's north-east on Saturday to
visit survivors of last Tuesday's devastating earthquake. Some 571 people
were killed and many injured when the quake hit rural areas around the city of
Al-Hoceima. The King's visit has been postponed twice because of fears for
his safety in an area still suffering aftershocks. Aid has begun to arrive
but there is concern among local people that it is
not being distributed quickly
enough. The search for victims has ended and efforts are now concentrated
on tending to the injured and the thousands whose homes were destroyed.
Some 30,000 people are homeless and Moroccan officials said at least 50,000 people
in the area were still too afraid to return to their homes in fear of aftershocks.
Moroccans held special prayers for the victims on Friday - prayers that the
king had been expected to lead.
Aid concerns
On
Thursday several people were injured during a demonstration by some 1,000 survivors
who accused the government of a slow response to the tragedy. And on Friday,
police clashed with a group of people who were marching to the airport to demand
state aid. One man shouted that they knew that the aid had been delivered
but they had still not received anything. "The local councillors have
stolen the aid, they must have done a deal amongst themselves," shouted a
man called Hassan. But the authorities say they are distributing aid as
quickly as they can. Correspondents say supplies are beginning to reach
even some of the remotest villages hit by the quake, helping to ease tensions.
The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched
an appeal for $2.3m to pay for tents, blankets, mattresses, heaters and food.
The government has said it will announce a reconstruction plan for the region
next week.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3490790.stm
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U.S. sending
supplies to earthquake victims in Morocco
PPL-U.S.-MOROCCO
WASHINGTON, Feb 25 (KUNA)
The United States is providing immediate
relief for victims of the earthquake that struck Morocco on Tuesday. "We
are sending supplies to Morocco on an urgent basis from our warehouses in
Italy and elsewhere, including 10,000 blankets, tents, water pumping and
purification units, water containers, hygiene kits and generators, and other
emergency items," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher announced on
Wednesday. The first planeload of emergency relief was to arrive in Morocco
on Wednesday, Boucher said. "This assistance is in addition to
the fifty-thousand-dollar contribution to the Moroccan Red Crescent provided
the day of the earthquake to respond to the immediate needs of the Moroccan
people," Boucher said, noting that the U. S. Agency for International Development
was conducting a needs assessment to determine what other support the United
States might be able to offer. "The United States stands with the people
of Morocco at this difficult time, and once again offers its condolences
to the victims of this tragic event," Boucher said. (end)
http://www.kuna.net.kw/English/Story.aspDSNO=605660
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