Spain and Morocco May Allow Visa-Free Access to Sebta and Melilla

Spain hopes to boost the economy of of its two occupied areas in Morocco - Sebta (Ceuta) and Melilla - by allowing Moroccans visa-free access. The proposal will be studied and (hopefully) applied in principle in a few months

Talks between the Spanish and Moroccan governments on the abolition of visas for entry to Sebta began several months ago. Morocco has been studying a Spanish proposal on access to the territory for all Moroccans without needing of a Schengen visa.

This proposal came as no surprise to the Moroccan authorities, since several Spanish officials, including the governor of Ceuta, have been pushing for the central government in Madrid to take an initiative in this direction. The call from officials became more insistent in view of the sluggish economy in Sebta and Melilla, following the financial crisis which has hit Spain.

The building by Morocco of the Mediterranean port of Tangiers has also contributed to lower economic activity in the two cities, despite their status as tax-free markets.

Morocco, after careful consideration, accepted the Spanish proposal and it only remains for Morocco to study all its aspects, particularly on the security front, which is considered essential due to the radicalisation of a number of inhabitants from these two occupied areas. There is also the issue of hundreds of African migrants who await the opportunity to reach the two cities that are part of the European Union. Free movement of people across the border post of Tarajal will be confirmed when the new government emerges after the elections of 7 October.

"mule women" of Melilla - Photo: Fernando Del Berro

Another pressing issue is the thousands of small smugglers and "mule women" who continue to operate in both cities. This commerce takes place daily at Barrio Chino - a border crossing from Melilla to Morocco for pedestrians only. As long as a porteadora can physically carry her load, it is classed as personal luggage, so Morocco lets it in duty-free. The women have the right to visit Melilla because they live in the Moroccan province of Nador. But they are not allowed to reside in the Spanish territory.

Access in future will be granted only to holders of identity cards indicating residence in the Tetouan region. At the same time there is talk of opening another crossing point at Tarajal 2 to reduce the pressure on the first.

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An Unofficial Russian ‘base’ in the Med?

A group of eleven members of the European Parliament have complained to the EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, about the presence of Russian vessels in the Spanish occupied enclave of Ceuta (Sebta)

 Since 2011 around 60 Russian warships have stopped in Ceuta to resupply and give their crews a rest. The vessels have included an attack submarine, frigates, destroyers, amphibious assault ships and auxiliary vessels.

The European parliamentarians say that the frequency with which Russian navy ships call into the port – at least 10 times a year – has turned the Spanish exclave into the main base of the Russian fleet in the western Mediterranean.

The Russian submarine ‘Novorossiysk’ in Ceuta

The Europeans are not alone in raising objections to the use of Ceuta by the Russians.  This month Republican Congressman Joe Pitts tabled a motion in the US Congress urging Spain to stop allowing Russian Navy warships to refuel in Ceuta.

The motion, earlier this month, coincided with the arrival of another Russian vessel, the frigate Ladny, which stopped at the port to refuel and two days after two British Royal Navy ships escorted another Russian frigate, the Admiral Grigorovich, through UK waters.

“The presence of the Russian Navy close to British territorial waters in Gibraltar presents significant intelligence and security risks for the United States, the United Kingdom, and the NATO alliance,” the Pitts' motion states.

The frigate Ladny

Spain rejects all criticism and points out that the Russian visits typically last around three days and generate revenue for a city. According to the Ceuta Port Authority, around 2,300 Russian sailors spent leave in the city in 2014, each changing around €450 of foreign currency. That adds up to over €1 million a year, with most of it going on local dining and shopping. In addition Ceuta gains income from resupplying. An amphibious ship needs around 300 tons of diesel fuel and 150 tons of water; an oil tanker might need as much as 3,750 tons of fuel.

The Russian embassy in Madrid expressed surprise at the fact that “such a common practice as calling into foreign ports” could be the subject of controversy.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative US think tank says that “Spain’s policy of allowing the Russian navy to use Ceuta is hypocritical in relation to its reluctance to allow NATO to make direct visits between Gibraltar and Spanish ports.”

“The US government should make it clear at the highest levels that it views any support of the Russian navy as completely unacceptable in light of Russian aggression,” adds a Heritage policy brief.

Russia's destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov 

The brief points out that some of the visits by the Russian Navy have curious timing. For example, during the same week in April 2014 that the EU announced a new round of sanctions against Russia, Spain made a mockery out of the sanctions by hosting at Ceuta the Russian destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov, and two Russian navy tankers, the Dubna and the Sergey Osipov.

The most recent visit was made by the Russian submarine Novorossiysk en route to its base in the Black Sea. The Novorossiysk, commissioned in August 2014, is one of Russia’s newest submarines and one of the quietest diesel-powered submarines in the world.

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Something Fishy ~ Smuggling Hashish in Fish Bucket

It was probably intended as a way of keeping the sniffer dogs off the scent, but a recent smuggling attempt fooled nobody

An attempt to cross the border from Morocco into Spanish occupied Melilla with 5 kg of hashish went wrong this week when a man tried to enter the city with two buckets of sardines. The customs officers, suspecting there was something fishy going on, checked the contents of the buckets, found the hashish, confiscated the fish and promptly arrested the man and sent him off for interrogation (or should that be a grilling?).

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The Mule Women of Melilla

The BBC World Service reports on the lives of the porteadoras - the mule women of Melilla. Every day these women carry huge loads on their backs across the Barrio Chino crossing from Melilla into Morocco.

Photo: Fernando Del Berro

Melilla and Sebta (Ceuta) are tiny fragments of Europe on North Africa's Mediterranean coast. They have been under Spanish control about 500 years ago. And while Spain claims that the enclaves are integral parts of Spain, Morocco views the Spanish presence as anachronistic and claims sovereignty.

The enclaves are surrounded by fences, intended to deter illegal immigrants. But Sebta and Melilla are nonetheless used by many Africans as stepping stones to Europe.

Linda Pressly writes that every day the mule women carry their heavy loads across the border between the Spanish enclave and Morocco. Melilla is an important entry point for goods in to North Africa - and if the women can carry them, they can be imported in to Morocco duty-free.

In the early morning sunlight, a cloud of dust hovers close to the 6m-high fence that separates Melilla from Morocco. The dust is kicked up by frenetic activity as traders prepare goods to cross the border. There are second-hand clothes, bolts of fabric, toiletries and household items, all of it destined for markets in Morocco and beyond. Thousands of people are here and the noise is deafening - a cacophony of revving engines and raised voices.

Massive bales are everywhere, all wrapped in cardboard, cloth and sacking and fastened with tape and rope. And under the immense bales, obscured and bent double by the size of their loads, are Moroccan women.

This commerce takes place daily at Barrio Chino - a border crossing from Melilla to Morocco for pedestrians only. As long as a porteadora can physically carry her load, it is classed as personal luggage, so Morocco lets it in duty-free. The women have the right to visit Melilla because they live in the Moroccan province of Nador. But they are not allowed to reside in the Spanish territory.

Photo: Fernando Del Berro

One of the women, Latifa, claims her place in one of the rowdy queues made up of hundreds of women, and drops her load of 60kg (132lb) of used clothes. She has been doing this work for 24 years and will be paid three euros ($4.10 or £2.60) for transporting her bale across to Morocco. It is not work she chooses to do.

"I have family who must eat," she explains. "I have four children, and no husband to help - I divorced him because he beat me."

And then as the queue surges forward, Latifa disappears in a sea of merchandise.

Many of the women who work as porteadoras are divorced or separated like Latifa, single mothers providing for their families. Life is difficult for them in Morocco's traditional society, and often this is the only work they can get. Some of them make three or four trips a day from Barrio Chino, carrying up to 80kg.

Rates of pay vary and the women complain they must give bribes to the Moroccan guards.

In Melilla, there is debate about whether this trade should be allowed to continue in its current form.

Read the full story here: BBC World Service

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Spain's Hypocrisy over Gibraltar - But What About Ceuta and Melilla?

Spain is involved is a rather foolish game at the moment, trying to play hardball with the UK over the island of Gibraltar. Apart from the glaringly obvious fact that it is a fight they can not win, it shines the spotlight on Spain's occupation of Moroccan territory on mainland Morocco and some of its off-shore islands. A recent article by Luke Coffey in the Huffington Post highlights Spain's hypocrisy. 

Sebta (Ceuta) in Morocco -  occupied by Spain

Spain's antagonistic behavior toward Gibraltar is unbecoming of a NATO ally in 21st-century Europe. A €50 tax at the border on top of seven hour long border crossings, 200 illegal incursions by Spanish vessels into Gibraltarian waters in 2012, and intent to sell 20 jet fighters to Argentina- these are not the acts of a friend and partner.

Spain's current political and economic woes are well known. It is clear that the government in Madrid desperately needs a distraction. For many in Spain the issue of Gibraltar is just the distraction needed. But Spanish disdain for Gibraltar is pure hypocrisy - and many in Spain know it.

Spain still holds two exclaves, Sebta (Ceuta) and Melilla, and controls three more such smaller areas called the Plazas de Soberanía - or Places of Sovereignty in or just off the coast of its neighbour Morocco.

Ceuta is a city of 79,000 people roughly twice the size of Gibraltar. Melilla is a city of 73,000 and also larger than Gibraltar. Both cities are located in Morocco in the same way Gibraltar is in Spain. Since they are legally part of Spain, Ceuta and Melilla are the only two EU cities located in mainland Africa. They are also part of the Schengen Agreement and the Eurozone. According to a 2007 poll the vast majority of people in Spain, 87.9%, say Ceuta and Melilla are part of Spain. In the same poll 50% said that they did understand the claim Morocco has on the two cities.

Moroccan Committee to Free Ceuta (Sebta) and Melilla activists trying to occupy the Penon de Velez de la Gomera

In addition there are the three geographical and political anomalies that form Spain's so-called Plazas de Soberanía in Morocco.

The Chafarinas Islands is a small group of three islands located two miles off the coast of Morocco. Last summer the Spanish interior minister, during a visit to Melilla, suggested that Spain might deploy security forces to the islands. Of course, the Moroccans were not thrilled by this possibility.

The Peñón de Alhucemas is an island located 350 meters (not miles) from the Moroccan coast. This island has a perimeter slightly smaller in size than London's Olympic stadium. As of 2012 it was home to 30 soldiers of Spain's 32nd Mixed Artillery Regiment.

Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera in Morocco - occupied by Spain

The Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera is located at the tip of a small peninsula. This Spanish peninsula is connected to Morocco by an 85m long isthmus making this one of the world's shortest international land borders. There is also a small Spanish military garrison based there.

Separate to these three Plazas de Soberanía is the small but contested Perejil Island. Located just 250 meters off the coast of Morocco, this island was the scene of an armed confrontation in 2002 between the two countries. Thankfully, nobody was injured when Spanish commandos were sent to liberate the island from Moroccan naval cadets. Peace was brokered by then U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell after both sides agreed to return to the status quo ante.

The legality or righteousness of Spain's numerous possessions in Morocco is not the object of this article. But it is clear that Spain's disdain for Gibraltar is purely hypocritical when viewed through the wider lens of Spanish possessions in Morocco.

Read the full article here: Huffington Post

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Moroccan News Briefs #91

PM Benkirane in Rome to represent HM the King in Rome


At the inauguration ceremony of Pope Francis, the leader of the government, Mr. Abdelilah Benkirane, praised Rome's unwavering commitment to Morocco as a triumph of the values ​​of peace, understanding and cooperation among peoples and followers of divine religions. Benkirane said his presence in the Italian capital to represent HM King Mohammed VI, demonstrates the values in international relations.

The head of government remarked on the secular nature of relations between Morocco and the Vatican "We are convinced that the future can be built on friendly relations based on cooperation, understanding and tolerance in the service of peoples and nations in general, and Muslims and Catholics in particular".

Benkirane arrived in Rome in the early evening yesterday to join an expected total of 132 delegations, including some including heads of state. The official ceremonies will be held on Tuesday from 9:00 to (8:00 GMT). The new pope was elected last Wednesday and becomes the 266th Pope in the history of the Catholic Church.


35 immigrants rescued aboard makeshift boats

On Monday Spanish Maritime Rescue Services intercepted 35 illegal immigrants trying to cross the Strait of Gibraltar aboard makeshift boats to reach the Spanish coast. The 35 migrants from Africa had embarked on four inflatable boats. The Red Cross was able to rescue nine of them before a passing ship helped rescue 26 migrants traveling in the other three boats.

Illegal migrants in a boat attempt to reach Spain

Rescuers distributed blankets before returning to the port of Tarifa, on the coast of Andalusia, in southern Spain.

At the end of October, at least 16 illegal immigrants were killed while trying to reach the Spanish coast from Morocco. Spain has tightened security around its enclave of Melilla by enhancing border fence after an attempted incursion of sixty illegal migrants. The enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, both on the northern coast of Morocco are the only land border between Africa and Europe. Fifty migrants from sub-Saharan Africa, however, were able to cross the border at Melilla a week ago. In that attempt 12 people were wounded according to the Spanish authorities. But the Moroccan Association for Human Rights puts the figure at 25. Since the summer, hundreds of other migrants have tried to force their way through the border. The humanitarian organization Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), which is preparing to leave Morocco, denounced last week an increase in "violence" inflicted by Spanish and Moroccan police against illegal migrants from sub-Saharan Africa trying to reach Europe.


Casablanca: beware the false policemen

Casablanca police have had a small triumph of fact over fiction - by arresting a fake policeman. District police in the Hay Hassani area nabbed an alleged fake police officer who, along with two others were the subject of complaints, says a police source.

Their last victim was suspicious of the behaviour of three alleged police who threatened first take him to the police station before demanding money for their "services". If he paid up he would be allowed to go free, he was told. The victim gave them 4500 dirhams, but the fake police said it was not enough and demanded he write a cheque payable to the bearer as collateral and then find the rest of the agreed amount.

Investigations by the real police were aided by detailed descriptions of the false police and were quick to identify the the crooks. Once surrounded by investigators the crooks were discovered to be intoxicated and tried to resist by flashing a knife. They attacked the police but were finally subdued and taken into custody.

19th International Festival of Mediterranean Cinema

Twelve films will compete for the Grand Prize at the 19th International Mediterranean Film Festival in Tetouan. The festival is scheduled to run from March 23 to 30. The films in competition are from ten Mediterranean countries: Morocco, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Palestine, Spain, France, Italy, Croatia and Romania.

The Italian producer, Grazia Volpi, will chair the feature film jury alongside Moroccan director Abdelmajid R'chiche, actress Teresa Taba from the Ivory Coast, Egyptian actor Fathy Abdelouahab and Portuguese director Pedro Antonio Vasconcelos.

This 19th edition of the festival will open with the Franco-Romanian film "Beyond the Hills" and closed by the Moroccan film "The Horses of God". This year the festival will feature Algerian and Portuguese cinema by screening an anthology of film's such as "Chronicles of Years of Fire" by Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina, and the film "La Montagne de Baya" by Azeddine Meddour. The festival will also pay tribute to many Mediterranean cinema greats, including the Egyptian actor Ahmad Hilmi who will be present at the screening of his latest film "Ala Jottati" (2013), the Tunisian director and filmmaker Reda Bahi and Spanish director Fernando Trueba.

Moroccan cinema will also be honoured in the person of actress Touria Alaoui whose film "Bab Tarfaya Labhar" will be screened and director Saad Chraibi whose film career is traced through the films "Jawhara, Daughter of Prison", "Thirst", "Women and Women", "Islamour" and "Women in Mirrors".


Boxing at Jardin des Biehn

A reminder that the boxing training with Christophe Tendil begins Saturday, March 23 at 9:30.

If you decide to attend, please let the good folks at Jardin des Biehn if you need boxing gloves.

Le Jardin des Biehn is not all about the pugulistic art - the stomach is also being catered for with the news that on Monday, March 25, there will be a dinner concert at Fez Cafe Restaurant.

Rocked by the talented Leo and his Oud, intoxicated by the Chef Hicham, the fixed-price menu is 220 dirhams per person.  The concert begins at 20h and it is suggested you make a reservation.

Menu - 220 dirhams

- Terrine of sole, celery root and saffron
- Chicken breast stuffed with mushroom polenta, artichokes and beans
- Strawberry Mousse


OPINION

This week The National Interest ran an interesting article by Ahmed Charai "The Great Potential of a U.S.-Moroccan Relationship".

The West faces a serious dilemma on the African continent as French forces begin the process of withdrawing troops from Mali in April. As the New York Times noted this week, French troops were critical in routing Al Qaeda-linked militants from the northeastern part of the country, where the extremists had managed to conquer a territory the size of France itself and subject the population to a reign of terror. The enclave was fast becoming a bastion of support for Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and other affiliated groups below the Sahara—whose growth on the African continent poses one of the most grave terror threats to global security today.

The reason for Western concerns about French withdrawal is that the coalition of African armies with whom they are now allied lack the capacity to hold the territory on their own. “No amount of exercise or training in the next couple weeks or months can, in itself, prepare African forces for their new role in Mali,” U.S. counterterrorism specialist Benjamin P. Nickels told the Times. And so at precisely the time when most Western governments wish to reduce their military commitments abroad in light of trying economic circumstances, they face pressure to do the opposite.

This problem, in turn, is only part of a larger challenge Europe and the United States face in Africa, a continent which, though formidable, poses opportunities as well as risks. As Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson noted in a statement earlier this year, “It is my firm belief that Africa represents the next global economic frontier. Sub-Saharan Africa continues to weather the global economic crisis more successfully than other regions, and is home to six—and soon to be seven—of the ten fastest growing economies in the world.” Yet he also noted in substance that American entrepreneurs lack the knowledge base and network on the continent to take advantage of the opportunity.

Meanwhile, elites in the U.S. private sector have observed that foreign direct investment in Africa, while promising in terms of its potential to develop and enrich the continent and investors, could easily be reversed through capital flight should Al-Qaeda gains imperil the security of multinational installations.

In order to scale back military commitments, strengthen indigenous military capabilities, and benefit from the business opportunities Africa poses, the United States would do well to find a local partner that can facilitate all three. A strong candidate to play this role is a staunch US ally, the Kingdom of Morocco: Since Muhammad VI assumed the throne in 1999, the country has worked to establish goodwill, political and economic ties, and a strong security footprint across the continent—both north and south of the Sahara.

King Mohammed VI visited three countries in sub-Saharan Africa last week: Senegal, Gabon, and Ivory Coast. As in forays to seven other African states since February 2005, he brought along teams of intelligence, political and cultural advisors, as well as Moroccan entrepreneurs. This mixed portfolio, unleashed in a series of working sessions with counterparts in each country, reflects the monarchy’s approach to building ties deep into Africa while bolstering continent-wide security as well.

King Mohammed appears to believe that security in any developing country rests on a combination of military operations, intelligence work and policing on the one hand, and anti-poverty measures, the promotion of religious tolerance and opportunity-boosting political reforms on the other. This is the approach he has employed in his own country since a 2003 triple suicide bombing rattled the kingdom. It was recently consolidated by a new constitution that grants sweeping domestic authorities to an elected chief of government, mandates equal opportunity for women and minorities, and democratizes domestic security by establishing a consultative security council bringing the monarchy and elected officials together.

In accordance with these principles, Morocco has established goodwill in much of Africa through a series of development projects. Among the more prominent examples, the kingdom’s National Office of Electricity is now electrifying rural areas along the Senegal River, affecting 550 villages and 360,000 people. Along the way, the venture trains Senegalese experts in techniques honed inside Morocco, thanks to a homegrown project that brought electricity to 98 percent of villages countrywide.

Other Moroccan-led ventures are improving health services on the continent. For example, the kingdom’s pharmaceutical giant, Sothema, was tapped to establish a branch in Dakar which now makes and exports affordable drugs to treat cholera, malaria, and diarrheal diseases in Africa’s poorest countries. These projects, along with the Moroccan private sector’s investments in many sub-Saharan states, are facilitated by a Moroccan banking network spanning 20 African nations. Human resources for the work are typically drawn from a combination of indigenous talent and Moroccan expatriate communities across the continent who lend their bilingual, bicultural skills to these bilateral ventures.


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Moroccan News Briefs #70

Free Ceuta (Sebta) and Mililla activists detained

Moroccan activist make their statement 

Four Moroccan activists from the Committee to Free Ceuta (Sebta) and Melilla were briefly detained at dawn on Wednesday this week after trying to occupy the Penon de Velez de la Gomera fortress off the Moroccan coast. Both Ceuta and Melilla are considered by Moroccans as their territory.

A total of seven activists reached the fortress, on a peninsula 130 kilometers west of Melilla. Arriving on foot at 6.30am, they tried to place flags from their movement. Stopped by Spanish military border police, three activists fled while the other four were questioned, identified and then released, said a Spanish enclave government delegate, El Berkani.

Committee activists have made several attempts to occupy Spanish-occupied rock fortresses recently, El Berkani said. In 2002, the landing of Moroccan troops on Spain's Perejl Island in the Strait of Gibraltar caused a diplomatic incident between the two countries.


The Casablanca tramway - nearing completion

The construction work on the first tramway in Casablanca is nearly completed with October the 15th set as the date for test driving trains in actual traffic conditions and checking all equipment. The October  date is nearly two months before the expected commissioning of the giant urban development.

Work on the railway platforms is on schedule with finishing touches underway with full completion expected on September 10.

The 22 km of overhead contact lines are in place and 15 km has already been electrified.

The control centre of the operation will initially run 37 trains, but capacity has been built into the system to accommodate 49 trains and in anticipation of new line extensions or an increase in the number of trains.

The first tramway line, which crosses the city from east to west covers a distance of 30 km, linking the main areas of the city include 48 stations and stops travelers. Each train, with a length of 65 m, can accommodate 600 passengers with 100 seats, an expected number of 250,000 travelers daily via a fleet of 37 trains.

To give a new visual identity, it is also planned the construction of two large squares - UN and Casa Voyageurs and the planting of 2,000 trees. In all, some 90 hectares of the city of Casablanca which will be fully refurbished.


"Human Rights" delegation criticised

Human rights observers held meetings with tribal leaders, peacekeepers and Moroccan officials on Monday as they wrapped up a visit to the Morocco's Western Sahara.

Their visit comes amid a row between the United Nations and Rabat, which has demanded the replacement of new UN peace envoy Christopher Ross, whom it accuses of "bias" in efforts to resolve the status of the territory.

The delegation, led by Kerry Kennedy, of the Robert F Kennedy Centre for Justice and Human Rights, and Mary Lawlor, director of rights group Front Line Defenders, held morning meetings with tribal leaders and the region's governor, an AFP reporter said.

In the afternoon, the group visited the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission.

On Sunday, the delegation held a closed meeting at their hotel with Sahrawi pro-independence groups, who repeated their demands to see the mandate of the peacekeeping mission extended to cover human rights. It also met pro-Moroccan groups.

However there has been widespread cynicism about the biased nature of the trip. Richard Miniter, writing for an on-line journal criticised "...chumming around with a group credibly linked to terrorists who are at war with the United States, and consorting with drug smugglers who are essentially at war with all civilized peoples."

Morocco is a frontline state in America’s war against “Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb” (AQIM), a branch of the late Osama bin Laden’s terror network. This is the group that plotted to bomb the U.S. Embassy in Bamako, Mali. It schemed to kidnap drivers on the Paris-Dakar road race. It has held for ransom more than a score of Europeans.

AQIM also plots to kidnap or kill American diplomats all across North Africa. Morocco is a constitutional monarchy with an elected government, so undermining it hurts a vital U.S. ally in both the war on terror and the war on drugs.

Miniter claims that both the terrorists and the drug lords have been repeatedly linked to the Polisario Front — the same anti-Moroccan rebel group that hosted the Kennedy women.

Miniter is scathing about the visit saying "Two scions of the Kennedy clan went to Morocco and came away with a breathless tale of police brutality against separatists. The problem? The separatists represent the Polisario Front, a brutal rebel group linked to al-Qaida and drug smugglers. Their first-hand account, which was published by The Huffington Post, doesn’t mention that their radical chic tour continued to the Polisario Front’s remote Saharan camps in Southern Algeria, where the rebels used the naïve Kennedy women for all the propaganda value they could wring out of them." Read the full article here

A source within the Moroccan government, not authorized to speak on the record but with direct knowledge of the circumstances surrounding Kennedy's visit, expressed concern for the peace process. "Kennedy and her team, after asking for Moroccan assistance to organize the trip, refused to meet with anyone not supportive of the Polisario." Further, the official was adamant that the Moroccan government communicated to Kennedy and the RFK Center they were "welcome here (Morocco,) could stay as long as they want, and we are pleased to arrange meetings with Moroccans and Sahrawis with differing views than those within the Polisario."

Inquest into couple's deaths in Morocco

A joint inquest into the deaths of a couple from Worcestershire killed in separate falls while on holiday in Morocco is due to take place today. Roger and Mathilde Lamb, from Pensham near Pershore, were with their four sons in the tourist resort of Essaouira last August when they died in separate incidents.

Mrs Lamb, who was 43, is believed to have fallen from the apartment her family were staying in on August 17. She died the next day.  Mr Lamb, who was 47, died after falling from a separate building a few days later.

Mechanisation gives Argan oil a boost

A Moroccan university professor’s interest in the economic preservation of the declining Argan tree has resulted in women harvesting the tree’s valuable oil increasing their income by more than ten times.

Zoubida Charrouf (pictured above), a professor at Mohamed V. University in Morocco, initially developed an interest in the tree and its oil for conservation reasons, but has since improved the extraction of oil by establishing processing cooperatives – such as the Ajddigue and Taitmatine cooperatives – run entirely by local women. This commercialisation of Argan oil has boosted business in the cooperatives and emancipated the women by offering them a meaningful livelihood. Charrouf says that Argan Oil “should readily find a place of choice amid the most profitable oils for human health”. Celebrities as diverse as Sophie Dahl, model and writer, and Heston Blumenthal, one of Britain’s leading chefs, are fans.

The commercialisation was achieved by mechanising some of the tedious production tasks, such as grinding the nuts and pressing the oil. This sped up the operation and also improved the quality of the oil, doubled its shelf life, and reduced waste. Membership in the cooperatives now ranges from 35 to 40 women, who now earn about $8.60 a day, an increase of more than ten times from when the projects began in 1997. Argan oil is now a high value niche product on the international market, and what began as a cottage industry could now provide more employment to Moroccan women.

”At the time [the project started], we were losing more than 600 hectares of Argan forest each year,” says Charrouf. “But we also wanted to convert this ecological problem into an economic opportunity. I knocked at several doors, but no one believed in my project. Now Argan oil is known around the world.” The economic opportunity that Charrouf uncovered for Moroccan women is now being supported with grants from the Moroccan government and the European Union.

“Being part of the cooperative freed me from tedious domestic work in people’s homes,” said one member of the Taitmatine cooperative. “Now I’m learning to read and write and I’ve learned how to ensure the quality of the Argan kernels. The cooperative has made me more independent. I’ve been able to visit other cooperatives in other provinces. I’ve seen how girls and women like me have been able to shape their own destiny and move ahead to develop their cooperatives.”


The hunt for oil in Morocco heats up

Morocco is becoming an increasingly attractive prospect for International Oil Companies (IOCs) looking for new exploration opportunities to add to their portfolios .With one of the most attractive tax regimes in the world and political stability unlike many of its neighbours, companies like Cairn are moving into Morocco.

Cairn will buy 50 percent of the Foum Draa blocks in Morocco, a third purchase this year after acquiring North Sea explorers Agora Oil & Gas AS and Nautical Petroleum Plc. After investing nearly US$ 1 billion in Greenland and still looking for results Cairn needs to diversify its exploration efforts in new areas and Morocco and the Mediterranean fits the bill. Cairn has sold most of its Indian holdings and thus has money to invest.

Much of Morocco remains unexplored and although there have not been significant finds yet the 3 D seismic surveys and geographical data are promising , particularly for offshore. The Edinburgh-based Cairn will pay US$ 60 million for fifty percent stake in a license shared with a number of small companies at Foum Draa block located in the western offshore of Agadir.

The current license holders San Leon, Serica and Longreach will hold interests of 14.2 percent, 8.3 per cent and 2.5 percent respectively, while the Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines (ONHYM) will hold 25 per cent.

Recent news flow from Morocco is a “very positive indicator” for Tangiers Petroleum which has significant acreage in the sought-after stretch of coastal north-west Africa, according to City broker Old Park Lane.Genel Energy has farmed into the Sidi Moussa block, and its investment together with Cairns amounts to deals worth in excess of $100 million and committments to drill two wells in the area.

Morocco has become a honey-pot for the ambitious mid and large-cap exploration groups as the geological understanding of coastal West Africa has increased.

Alongside Genel and Cairn, are Total , Repsol , Anadarko and Kosmos which are all active in the waters of the country’s coast.

Compared with its near neighbours Morocco is still largely under-explored, although this is changing with the latest influx of oil companies.

Moroccan Sufi expert dies

The specialist on Moroccan Sufism, Zakia Zouanat, died this week.

Zakia Zouanat Anthropologist, specialist of Moroccan Sufism and author of an important work on the extensions of this heritage in the world, died Thursday night at the age of 55, following a long illness.

Zouanat, who was a researcher at the Institute of African Studies of the Mohammed V University in Rabat, is particularly known for her work on the Sufi heritage aspects of Morocco and its influence around the world. Her seminal work on this subject is "The Kingdom of the Saints" (le Royaume des Saints).

"In the era of globalization the soul is desperate. How does one give to the other if one does not know oneself; if one has not preserved what we value most, our identity? Sufism is the central part of the Moroccan identity!"  Zakia Zouanat

The Germans are coming

Lufthansa launches new flights to Marrakech. September 1, 2012 will see the start of flights to Marrakech from Berlin and Dusseldorf, with two weekly frequencies. These air links will meet the ambitions of Morocco in relation to the German market, which in 2011 accounted for 4% of the tourist activity in Marrakech, with arrivals and overnight stays exceeding 70,000 and 165,000 nights respectively. Morocco has set a goal of doubling the number of German tourists in 2020, from 200,000 to 400,000 tourists per year.

Forest fires threaten rosemary plantings

Between January and this week, 326 forest fires have occurred in Morocco, according to figures from the Office for Water and Forests and the Fight against Desertification (HCEFLD). 3406 hectares of vegetation were destroyed, the equivalent of 3,400 football fields went up in smoke. The East is the region most affected by the fires. Near Nador, Berkane and Taourirt, 1866 hectares of vegetation burned in the latest fire. Commercial rosemary is almost certain to sustain damage.


OPINION

Morocco Is on the Path to Change

Hicham Ben Abdallah el Alaoui is a consulting professor at Stanford University's Center for Democracy Development and the Rule of Law, and is the president of the Moulay Hicham Foundation. He is a cousin of King Mohammed VI of Morocco and third in line for the throne. He wrote this piece for the New York Times

The Arab monarchies have survived the turmoil in the Middle East for several reasons. First, the monarchic institution remains deeply linked to national identity in many of these countries because of anticolonial struggle and the historical importance of the institution itself. Second, monarchies have traditionally arbitrated conflicts between different groups and classes, acting as benevolent caretakers of society. They have also allowed other institutions, like parliaments, to represent the people, thus staying above the political fray.

Like Jordan, Morocco is trying to satisfy its citizens by liberalizing instead of democraticizing.

These factors have earned Arab monarchs a respite from the wave that swept away regimes in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and possibly Yemen, but the respite will not last forever.

In the Gulf, enormous oil revenue has permitted monarchies to initiate new welfare and development programs to deflect public pressure. Geopolitics matter too: it has become clear that Saudi Arabia will not permit the crisis in Bahrain to truly threaten the existence of its monarchy. Likewise, at the international level, the United States and the European Union have little desire to encourage any more instability in this economically vital area.

The issue of monarchical survival has become inextricably entangled with the dynamics of Sunni-Shiite sectarian tension, which pits Iran against the Arab Gulf kingdoms. This discourse has grown hegemonic: not just the monarchies but also oppositionists have internalized these fears, blunting the demand for political reform.

Morocco and Jordan — the two oil-poor monarchies — are trying to satisfy their citizens by liberalizing instead of democratizing. They have turned to controlled political openings cloaked in the language of freedom but intended to perpetuate the status quo. Limited constitutional reforms, tolerance of more opposition and new parliamentary elections are welcome steps, but such measures do not devolve power away from the palace.

And such policies cannot indefinitely quiet the restive middle classes, who are no longer satisfied with constrained pluralism and demand genuine participation. What they desire is not revolution but reformation toward constitutional monarchy, a new system of governance that embodies the spirit of democracy while retaining the historical role of monarchism in these societies. The path to change may be uneven, and sometimes even chaotic, but it has begun.

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Morocco in the News ~ Press Round-up

A relatively quiet day in the media. The main focus of attention was ongoing reportage of the death of seven people during a disturbance at a football match in the deep south, the arrest of two men (one British, one Spanish) in possession of a huge amount of hashish and the return to the streets over the weekend of large numbers of protestors.

Sailing into Trouble

Moroccan law enforcement authorities announced the arrest of two foreign drug-traffickers, a Spaniard and a Briton, the Maghreb Arab Press News agency reported on Tuesday.

The operation was carried out when the two men were about to sail from the waters of Oued Laou (near the city of Tetouan in Northern Morocco) to Europe with one ton of cannabis resin stashed inside their yacht.

The two men, aged 50 and 33, were arrested by a patrol of Moroccan Royal Marines in charge of combating illegal emigration and international drug trafficking.

Ketama, in the Rif region, is the biggest area of cannabis production in Morocco. Since the early 1990s, Morocco has been making greater efforts and devoting significant resources to stop the spread of cannabis cultivation to other regions contiguous to Ketama.

And, in more drug news...


"Mad Danny" Arrested in Morocco

The story of the drug arrest was major news in Scotland as 66 year-old Daniel Healy – or ‘Mad Danny’ as he is known, comes from (Ardfern in Mid Argyll). Healy was arrested last week, as he went to drive across the border between Morocco and Sebta, the Spanish occupied city enclave.

Healy was travelling under the false name of John McLeish and was found by police to have 100kg of cannabis resin, said to be worth £500,000, hidden in the water tank of the campervan he was driving, protected in metal containers.

Since his arrest he has been held in the Moroccan prison of Tetouan.

Originally a Glaswegian, Healy has been a regular if erratic resident of Ardfern. When he arrived, he became an immediate local legend, turning up in the pub with a live parrot on his shoulder. His daughter, Siobhan Healy, a noted artist in glass blowing, a maker of quite breathtakingly beautiful objects, went to Ardfern Primary School.

According to reports in today’s press, he has told an acquaintance in Morocco – who says that Healy had no idea what was in his van – that he plans to plead guilty at his trial, which appears to be scheduled for Tuesday. This decision seems to rest upon questionable assurances he has been given that this plea will bring him no more than a year’s prison sentence.

The British Embassy and the Foreign Office say they are aware of his arrest.


Football Clashes Leave Seven Dead

Seven people were killed in a violent incident right after the end of a foot-ball game between Chabab Al-Mohammadia and local Mouloudia from the city of Dakhla in the Sahara.

 

Among those killed there were two policemen. Three people also died after being run over by four-wheel vehicles driven by people with criminal records, according to a statement carried by the Maghreb Press news agency.

The incident resulted also in damage to many local businesses and vehicles.

The clashes started when fans from both teams started attacking each other with stones, before they degenerated into deadly confrontations.

The local authorities have immediately opened an investigation into the causes of the confrontations and the instigators.

Anti-Corruption Demonstrators Return To Morocco's Streets

Thousands of protesters turned out in Casablanca on Sunday to demand deep political reform, unappeased by a recently-agreed package limiting the powers of King Mohammed VI.

Demonstrators responding to a call from the February 20 Movement filled the city's Al-Harti boulevard, with a crowd police estimated at 5,000 and organisers at 15,000.
The movement, which takes its name from its first day of protest, was inspired by the pro-democracy groups that have sprung up across the Arab world.

Participants held placards reading "Corruption is Wrecking Our Lives" and "More Social Justice".

About a thousand people turned out in Tangiers and in Marrakesh, with a similar number taking to the streets in Rabat, where many called for the release of rapper "Mouad Al-Haqed" who was arrested during a major protest in Casablanca in June.

Don't Miss Out On Rabat !

Online, The International Business Times devotes their travel section to Morocco’s "Overlooked Capital City - Rabat."

(Photo: Katy Dutile)

Morocco and Spain may be separated by just 13km at the Strait of Gibraltar, but tourists enter a completely new world when they set foot in the North African country.

Many tourists head straight for the markets of Marrakesh or Fez, but these destinations can be overbearing. There are tons of foreigners and you will face a constant bombardment of sellers barking "you, buy this!" For an introduction - or break - from the Moroccan hustle, try visiting the capital, Rabat.

After a day or two relaxing in Rabat and practicing your bargaining skills, you'll be refreshed and ready to head back out and see all that Morocco has to offer.

It may seem unusual that the capital is often overlooked by tourists. However, it's mainly a city of governmental officials and foreign embassies. So, if you lose your passport, you'll be headed to Rabat as well!

The article goes on to highlight some of the "must-see" sights such as one of our favourites, the Kasbah des Oudaias.

Take out your camera, because the neighborhood of Kasbah des Oudaias will make you trigger happy. Enter through the enormous Almohad gate of Bab Oudaia, built in 1195, to a mainly residential community perfect for a stroll. Several "guides" will approach you and offer their services or say the neighborhood is closed. Just ignore them, as a guide isn't needed. Plus, there's no place better in Rabat to wander aimlessly. The neighborhood is reminiscent of Santorini, Greece, with blue accented whitewashed homes lining the cobblestone streets.

After finding your way through the maze of homes, there are spectacular views of the Atlantic Ocean and surfers catching a break.The beach is packed with hundreds of locals enjoying the ocean - but don't wear a bikini. If you do, you'll find Morocco is the land of a hundred stares. Like anyplace in Morocco, wear what the locals' wear (which often means wading in the water in your street clothes).

Check out the Kasbah Mosque, Andalucian Gardens, and cafes overlooking the ocean to make a great afternoon in Rabat.

You can read the full story here: Morocco’s Overlooked Capital City


The "mystical magic" of Morocco
 
Further afield, and on a lighter note The Australian newspaper has a feature (lifted straight from Lonely Planet) on the joys of Marrakech. Here is an excerpt.

Ali Ben Youssef Medersa

Insiders say Marrakesh's palaces can't compare with its wonders wrought for the glory of God. While local mosques and zaouias (saint shrines) are closed to non-Muslims, you can see what the insiders mean at this medersa (Koranic school). Founded in the 14th century, the Ali ben Youssef Medersa was once the largest in North Africa and is one of the most splendid. Look up in the entry hall to admire intricately carved cedar cupolas and mashrabiyya (wooden-lattice screen) balconies. To add an aah to that ooh, enter the medersa's courtyard. The arcaded cloisters are Hispano-Moresque wonders of five-colour, high-lustre zellij (mosaic) and ingenious Iraqi-style Kufic stucco, with letters intertwined in leaves and knots.

Facing stiff competition from medersas in Fez, the school closed in 1962. But in its heyday, up to 900 students lived in the 130 dorm rooms here and shared one bathroom. Upstairs, a 3sq m dorm room shows how students lived, with a sleeping mat, writing implements, a Koran bookstand and a hotplate.

You can read the full story in the Australian here: The mystical magic of Morocco

To Get You Thinking...

Finally - some words of wisdom delivered by the great Moroccan writer, Tahar Ben Jalloun, at the International Literature Festival in Berlin. This is what literature does—allows us to see what we otherwise wouldn’t see. And this is also why we need it. There are voices that would treat honest literature as “corrupt tendencies,” but “we need the novel,” said Ben Jalloun, “not only to explain the world to us, but also to accompany our historical times.” In other words, right now, “we must write more than ever…beautifully, powerfully, even if humankind increasingly wallows in a pseudo-reality, in mediocrity, and in ugliness.” Because despite all this, he said, literature and humankind can astonish and move us; “this is what happened in the Arab Spring.” Tahar Ben Jelloun’s words reminded me of those of Vladimir Nabakov: “The pages are still blank, but there is a miraculous feeling of the words being there, written in invisible ink and clamoring to become visible.”

Read more: Translating the Invisible

Spanish police disperse demonstration over Spanish occupation of Melillia

The Spanish occupied Moroccan cities of Sebta and Melillia continue to fester with resentment. On Tuesday a group of young Moroccans waving Moroccan flags demonstrated before the local government's headquarters in the Moroccan (Spanish-occupied) city of Melillia (northern Morocco), demanding an end to the Spanish occupation.

The protesters, who come from Melillia, Bni Ansar and Nador, took to the so-called "Plaça Espanya", carrying a banner that read "Sebta and Melillia are Moroccan".

During the demonstration, the group distributed leaflets that read "Spanish occupation out" and "Melillia is a Moroccan city".

The Spanish police dispersed the young protesters.

For more background, check out these stories - Sebta and Melillia

Postcard from Sebta

Visiting the Spanish occupied city of Sebta is a weird experience. This piece of Morocco has been the subject of dispute for a long time and Morocco is not alone in calling on the Spanish to relinquish this remnant of colonialism. Former French President Chirac was a great supporter of Morocco's historical claim and even went to the point of applying pressure to the Spanish Foreign Minister to return the territory. Alas, so far it is still a stalemate.

Sebta - everything within walking distance.

Facts!

Length 9.41 km (6 mi), W-E

Width 5.92 km (4 mi), N-S

Area 18.5 km² (7 sq mi)

Crossing the border does not feel at all like leaving Morocco, but there is a strange atmosphere, intensified by the presence of dozens of young men trying to raise a little cash by selling immigration forms, which are available free at the passport windows. The distance from one side of the frontier to the other is not great and after a long car or bus trip the walk is welcome.

The Spanish border police are friendly and welcoming and taxis are waiting inside for the short drive into the city of Sebta (which the Spanish call Ceuta). The trip into the city cost just over 3 Euro.

The moat beside the "Royal" wall.
(click on any image to enlarge)

Any doubt about the original inhabitants is immediately dispelled by the discovery of an ancient 11th century hammam (sign posted as "Arabic Baths"). This has been beautifully restored and entry to it is free. Although there is a mosque in Sebta, the call to prayer is overpowered by the ringing of church bells. The churches are all interesting, ornate and worth a visit.

Sebta is dominated by Monte Hacho, a hill along its western frontier with Morocco which is guarded by a Spanish fort. Monte Hacho is one of the possible locations for the southern Pillars of Hercules, of Greek legend (the other possibility being Jebel Musa).

Fountains everywhere ! 

The city itself is clean, open and bustling. Tapas bars are everywhere and the general standard of food is superb. If you arrive late in the afternoon, be aware that most bars are not open until around 8.30 in the evening. However, an "Irish", Dublin Pub appears to be open most of the time! Down around the Marina, a fishermen's complex houses restaurants from Chinese to up-market haute cuisine.

Looking upwards has its rewards! 

Being such a small city, walking everywhere is possible. There is also a large pedestrian precinct with plenty of shops. At present Sebta is part of the territory of the European Union. The city was a free port before Spain joined the European Union in 1986. Now it has a low-tax system within the European Monetary System. The population is around 80,000. Despite the so-called low tax system, The View from Fez found prices for cameras and computers higher than mainland Europe.

Nice set of threads! 

What strikes one while wandering the streets is the profusion of street sculpture which features everything from sheep wearing hats to a statue of Ghandi.

Accommodation is plentiful and the small pensions are clean and reasonably priced. For those on a bigger budget the Parador Hotel is perfectly located.

Summing up, a visit to Sebta is interesting but unless you are a tapas addict, returning to Morocco is a welcome experience. Back at the border, The View from Fez team sighed with relief when the first of the Moroccan police welcomed us, smiled and waved us through.

Photographs: Sandy McCutcheon (Click images to enlarge)

See all The View from Fez POSTCARDS HERE.

Morocco's relationship with Spain - Mixed messages?

To an outside observer, the relationship between Spain and Morocco is not always smooth sailing. The issue of the Moroccan territories held by Spain at Sebta and Melilia are a case in point. However, for two very mixed messages, one doesn't have to go further than this week's releases from MAP - the Moroccan government press agency.

The first headline was positive: "Relations between Spain and Morocco are 'excellent, rich and close', Spanish FM says" The second, less so: "Istiqlal party rejects planned visit of Spanish PP's president to Melilia." So read on and make your own assessment.

#1 Relations between Spain and Morocco are "excellent, rich and close", Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said on Tuesday before the Spanish Senate (upper house).

The Spanish government has always endeavored "to maintain excellent relations of friendship and cooperation with Morocco, based on mutual trust," Moratinos said, noting that these ties touch on two components, a bilateral one and another one at the level of the European Union.

Moratinos said that one of the clear aspects of the good bilateral understanding is the holding of periodic high-level meetings during which both countries go over their bilateral and regional agenda and determine their future common action.

Spain and Morocco share a lot of common interests and an important geostrategic position on the Mediterranean which offers many opportunities, while rising to the challenges with a spirit of cooperation and trust, he noted.

The trade relations between the two countries are very important, he said, adding that Spain is the second supplier, client and investor of Morocco with around 1,000 Spanish businesses in the Kingdom.

Spain takes part in the major projects of economic modernization undertaken in Morocco, a country "which boasts many investment opportunities for our corporations in the fields of construction, renewable energy, textile, tourism and the modernization of the railway sector," he added.

He said the two countries share the same philosophy concerning the field of immigration as part of a shared and integrated approach that involves the host, origin and transit countries.

"We have close cooperation with Morocco in relation to security, the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking," he said, underlining that Spain considers Morocco as " a partner and an ally" and not simply a neighboring country.

#2  Morocco's Istiqlal party has voiced its deep regret and total rejection of the intended "provocative" visit of the president of the Spanish Popular Party (PP), Mariano Rajoy, to the Moroccan, Spanish-occupied, city of Melilia.

The Istiqlal party said, in a letter sent by its secretary general Abbas El Fassi to Mariano Rajoy, that it rejects this visit regardless of its causes and aims, because it "hurts the national dignity and feelings".

The party underlined that this visit "would only damage the warm atmosphere which exists between the two countries".

It considered that "this visit does not serve our will to establish close relations between the Moroccan and the Spanish peoples and promote fruitful relation, based on mutual respect and full trust".

It highlighted "the need to engage in a serene and responsible dialogue in order to put an end to the occupation of Sebta and Melilia, based on a future vision that serves the common interests of the two countries and the common fate of the two peoples".

Bus tragedy in Morocco

Sad news this week, that nine Portuguese tourists were killed and fourteen injured when their tour bus plunged into a ravine near the border of the Spanish held territory of Sebta in northern Morocco. According to a report by the interior ministry, the tragedy occurred on Wednesday.

Eight of the dead in the accident were female, including a teenager, and one of the injured was a Moroccan guide.

According to a witness weather conditions may well have contributed, "It was very foggy and drizzling. The coach skidded and fell into a ravine," the witness said.

A Spanish government representative in Sebta stated that the bus was carrying Portuguese tourists who arrived on Wednesday morning in the enclave on a cruise ship.

Witnesses quoted by Portuguese media said it was in a convoy of buses when the accident happened some 15 kilometres (ten miles) from Sebta.

The injured were ferried to hospitals in Tetouan, Fnideq and M'diq, near Sebta, the Moroccan police said, adding that the driver of the bus was among them. A spokesman for the Lisbon-based tour operators, Classic International Cruises, told Portuguese Sic television that 44 tourists were aboard the bus when it crashed at 0645 GMT.

It was also carrying the Spanish driver, a Moroccan guide and a representative of the tour company, spokesman Nuno Fonseca said.

The bus belonged to a company in Sebta, where the cruiseliner Funchal had docked with some 400 Portuguese tourists aboard.With its 15th century cathedral and duty-free shopping, Sebta is a popular destination for cruise ships and day trippers from mainland Spain and neighbouring Portugal.

Sebta, along with twin enclave Melilla, is seen by Morocco as part of its territory although at present it has a status similar to Spain's other autonomous areas such as the Basque region and Catalonia.