Spanish PM gets mixed welcome in occupied Melilla

Spain's prime minister may have received a warm welcome from some when he toured Mellia, but his actions drew protests and a rebuke from Morocco, which has long awaited the return of the territory from Spain. The only thing between Morocco and its claimed territory are fences fortified with razor wire. Unfortunately the enclaves have beccome a transit point into Europe for Sub-Saharan Africans trying to escape poverty.

Melilla was the site of a humanitarian crisis last year when waves of destitute Africans tried to cross over from Morocco. Melilla and Sebta, a city farther west along the Mediterranean coast, are still in Spanish hands despite being in North Africa and realistically part Morocco.

Zapatero's trip is the first by a fully empowered Spanish prime minister since Adolfo Suarez visited the enclave in 1980. Zapatero also will visit Sebta during his two-day trip. Spanish King Juan Carlos has never traveled to the cities.

According to the Spanish press, African immigrants cheered Zapatero when he toured a refugee camp, applauding as Zapatero walked amid rows of barracks-style housing units and stopped to chat with inmates. Some immigrants demanded "Papers! Papers!" - an allusion to the almost impossible hope of receiving residency permits.

Hundreds of immigrants stormed the border in September and October here and in Sebta. Eleven people died in clashes with security forces.

A Moroccan government spokesman called the visit "inappropriate" but said it would not damage relations with Spain. "Ties between Madrid and Rabat are excellent, and this visit should not hurt the good quality of relations," Nabil Benabdallah is reported as saying.


But on the Moroccan side, Moroccans protested the visit, slowing down traffic at a busy border crossing with Melilla. The rally was called by the nationalist Moroccan Liberal Party, which considers Melilla and Ceuta to be occupied cities.

Zapatero visited the immigrant holding camp, ground zero of the humanitarian crisis last year, and pledged the Spanish government's firm support for Melilla as a Spanish city.

"I reiterate the government's commitment to the people of Melilla," Zapatero said in a speech, unveiling plans for a new hospital, two new schools and other government spending in the crowded city of 70,000.

"The government is very conscious of the singularity of Melilla, which needs special attention."

Zapatero's detractors in Spain deemed his advance notice to the Moroccan government as if the Spanish government asked Morocco for permission to visit the two seaports, which have been controlled by the Spaniards for over five centuries.

Arabic-language daily Al-Ittihad Al-Ichtiraki says that “the visit puts our friend Zapatero in contradiction with the policy of good neighbourliness and mutual trust.”

The paper, which belongs to the leading Moroccan party – the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) – added that the Spanish prime minister should have worked “towards ending colonisation rather than bolstering it.”

It also stressed the urgent necessity of bringing to a halt the “colonial process that has haunted those two Moroccan seaports,” as both Morocco and Spain collaborate to build a prosperous conflict-free Mediterranean area.

Morocco wants Melilla and Sebta back, but Zapatero has stressed the cities' status "is not and will never be up for discussion." Newspapers in the African nation denounced the visit as provocative. The visit "is badly perceived in Morocco," wrote Le Matin du Sahara.

"The fact that a Spanish head of government makes ... an official visit to the fortified posts that are the object of a territorial disagreement with a neighboring ally country, is in itself a source of major concern," wrote L'Opinion, the paper of nationalist conservatives of the Istiqlal party.

The on-line journal Morocco Times says:

By visiting the two occupied towns, Zapatero gave a strong blow to the Moroccan-Spanish relations and showed disrespect for the Moroccan people. Whether he had good or bad intentions, his move is regarded as a step that would spark another political crisis between the two countries.

OTHER LINKS:

International Herald Tribune: Zapatero stirs anger of Morocco

LA Times: Spain's Little Piece of Africa

Our Previous Story: Sebta and Melilla

Also see Moroccan News Briefs #7


Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, Spain

Moroccan weather turns chill!

Heading to Morocco? Then take a warm coat! The Moroccan weather services have announced that heavy showers will continue over the coming week, with a strong, cold wind on most days. Heavy rain will overspread all Morocco, especially northern areas where rain falls will exceed 30mm every nine hours.

This forecast mainly concerns the northern cities of Tangier, Tetouan, Larache, Chefchaouen, and Taounate, but Fez is extremely cold (2 to 13 degrees celsius).


Heavy downpours will be accompanied by gusty winds reaching up to 72 Km/h, in addition to snow falls over the mountainous areas above 1,200m altitude. Temperature is expected to fall between -1° in Ifrane, north, and 13° in Laayoune, south.

In related weather news, an Iranian ship has run aground in the Oulad Hmimoun beach in Mohammedia (17 km from Casablanca), as a result of the bad climatic conditions which have prevailed in the past few days in Morocco, reported MAP news agency.

"Iran Madani", a phosphate ship of 200 m built in 1985, was carried by the currents and the wind. It had been in the port of Casablanca to load some 40,000 tons of phosphates. At the moment bad weather is preventing any rescue attempt.

Riad Zany - Fez Medina - Morocco

Sometimes you just want to leave the politics and have a glass of mint tea.


Riad Zany - prior to restoration.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, photographs

Morocco’s Difficult Task of Combating Money Laundering

Article from The North Africa Journal

Morocco will need a major commitment to law enforcement if it really means to make a dent in stopping money laundering and financial crimes. Forced to upgrade its practices in accordance to international law, Morocco is implement a bold new legislation that incorporates harsher prison terms and higher fines for white-collar criminals.

After tightening its anti-terrorism legal arsenal, the Moroccan government is working to establish a much more severe anti-money laundering law. In its current draft, the law seeks to correct the perception foreign observers have on Morocco related to its stance on financial crime and dirty money. Its authors are working to line up the country’s laws with international standards. In fact, the draft law largely comes from recommendations made by the OECD's Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The FATF is an inter-governmental body whose purpose is the development and promotion of policies, both at national and international levels, to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The Task Force is a policy-making body created in 1989 that works to generate the necessary political will to bring about national legislative and regulatory reforms in these areas. The FATF has published “40 + 9” recommendations to combat money laundering and the financing of terrorism, which Morocco is considering to adopt.

The Moroccan law considers the involvement of a much larger number of institutions, from the traditional role of the finance ministry as the main government entity, to the treasury, banks, currency exchange office, lawyers, real estate agents, financial analysts, the stock exchange and others. The authors of the law are attempting to incorporate all institutions that could be used by money traffickers and enlisted them as future enforcers of the law, or at least make them more responsible. All of these players will have to use what is called a "suspicion declaration," meaning that any time they have doubts over the origins of the funds, they are required to report them to the proper authorities.

Removing the Deeply-Rooted Professional Secrecy:

But in this push for more transparency, the Moroccan professionals will be required to make major changes in the way they conduct business vis-à-vis their own clients. The biggest change is the requirement to eliminate the so-called "professional secrecy." Secrecy has long been used as a means to avoid disclosure and protect financial crooks. But the Moroccan law protects professional secrecy. It is prominently present in the national legislation, in particular in the penal code and the banking law of 1999, and so its removal will not be easy.

While maintaining some level of professional secrecy, the draft law does not shield professionals when providing information for intelligence gathering purposes. The coordination on information gathering will be the responsibility of an organization to be named "Unité." This unit will be based in the treasury department after the issue of its location was subject of a feud between the finance ministry and the interior ministry.

The Unité will have vast investigative and enforcement powers with its own police force. The law involves also the Royal Prosecutor. Article 17 says when the intelligence shows evidence of wrongdoing; the Royal Prosecutor would issue the proper investigation authorizations. With the permission of a judge, the prosecutor can issue an order to freeze or confiscate assets of a suspicious individual or company. The suspected individuals and companies can either be based in Morocco or abroad and their alleged crimes may not have to be committed in Morocco proper.

Skepticism Over Enforcement:

These proposed changes have received positive feedback from FATF in particular following the creation of a regional FATF-equivalent for Middle East North Africa call MENAFATF. But many observers remain skeptical as to the real impact such a law would have. This is because the weight of the informal sector in Morocco is so significant that authorities are likely to face major hurdles in implementation. The challenges are indeed monumental. Many specific regions in Morocco are known to generate a great deal of revenue from the informal sector, where dirty money rules. Regions such as Tangiers and the northern provinces closest to Spain and Nador are essentially considered the biggest sources of illegal financial activities since they are home of cannabis production and the illegal immigration business. Revenues from these two activities alone are estimated to be in the dozens of billions of dirhams and largely fuel the local economy and generate jobs. Indeed this money is recycled into the local and national economies, and often moves beyond the borders. There are entire sectors that are victims of trafficking and money laundering, including but not limited to agriculture, real estate, arts trade, jewelry, gambling, and even postal stamp trading. Because the informal sector accounts for a substantial share of many of these sectors, trafficking makes a major impact on them. As most businesses are cash-based transactions with no invoicing or paper trail, identifying illegal activities can be tricky to impossible, with the biggest winner being the criminal networks and the biggest loser being the state with uncollected taxes.

But for the optimists, in particular in the legal community, there has to be a time when traffickers need to recycle their money into the formal and official markets to sustain their investments, hence it is only a matter of time before they are caught. This position, although optimistic, eventually suggests that for the time being the implementation of the new law will have limited to no impact, at least in the medium term. Despite this assessment about a sector that uses informal channels, the fact is that money launderers and traffickers manage to use today the banking sector. This is the reason why the law added a list of requirements for banks to follow to identify wrongdoers, including basic reporting requirements that identify the source of the money and the identity of the clients.

Attempting to stay ahead of the curve, the Moroccan central bank Bank Al-Maghrib already issued an order in January 2004 relative to the issue of accounts and account holder monitoring. The aim of the order was to reassure skeptical international financial institutions that Morocco was on the right path prior to enacting a new legislation. The new law provides additional clarifications on specific points such as allowing individual banks to determine at their discretion the criteria that makes a depositor suspicious and worth reporting to authorities. These criteria will be in addition to a certain minimum for deposits and transactions that the authorities will determine. In other words, banks could alert authorities if the amount involved is even lower than what was determined by the authorities as a point of suspicion.

A Shock to the Banks and the Court System:

Not only banks but also lawyers, real estate firms and financial experts will be required to submit a written report to the "Unité" of suspicious transactions. The concerned individuals or companies will have to wait for the court decision that must be made within 48 hours. While this looks like a fast process, observers fear the Moroccan court system is not ready to react that quickly. For the past five years, the Moroccan court system has been going through an important transition with the introduction of information technology (IT), computing and databases. Five years into the process and the effort has not yet yielded the expected outcome. Courts continue to function the old-fashion way with the massive paper trail and lengthy bureaucratic proceedings. Only a solid IT platform could help take a bite out of criminal organizations, while streamlining and speeding up the decision making process.

Banks are also not ready and will have to adjust to compliance issues very soon. A few banks have begun to make changes in their processes to introduce compliance as part of their systems. BMCE Bank has established a fully dedicated anti-money laundering unit within the General Control and Compliance division. The bank is acquiring special software that is capable of filtering and analyzing accounts and transactions behaviors to identify specific risk profiles. The software will reportedly be operational this year. But BMCE is one bank among many and not all appear to be taking the issue seriously. And there are not just the banks in the anti-money laundering ecology. Some 38 professions and sectors are on the hook to contribute to this clean up operation. Not all of them are ready to endorse the move given the added cost and troubles for them.

But before getting there, the draft law will have to undergo a multi-step process, the most important of which is the coming debate in parliament. Some lawmakers fear that the amount of pressure they are facing from lobbyists could lead them to diminish the content of the law to a point where it could become irrelevant.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Avian Flu: How Prepared is Morocco?

While the government is attempting to calm fear over the possibility that bird flu can reach Morocco, it has yet to be seen whether the existing surveillance system is efficient enough to prevent a potential pandemic.

Several Moroccan analysts fear the current state of preparedness remains inadequate. Having observed how the carcasses of chickens are discarded in public waste fields in a report published by the press last November, they argue that waste management remains a critical problem, in particular when dealing with birds and poultry.

At least the usual way of selling chickens in the souqs, where you select the bird to be killed, means that you can see if the bird is healthy or not.

Meanwhile, he U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization will help North African governments monitor the potential outbreak of the avian flu. With the flu already spread in nearby Turkey, fear that an outbreak in North Africa is inevitable is causing a lot of worries about the population and authorities. The project will, over an 18-month time span, assist the recipient countries of the North Africa region to mount emergency preparedness for the eventuality of introduction of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza.

Other links: Moroccan News Briefs - #15

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Dutch organisation launches Moroccan media support programme

In welcome news to the Moroccan media, a Dutch organisation working in the field of support of media expansion, announced a subsidies launch for Moroccan journalists.

Funds of up to 5,000 euros for a project constitute the first phase of a new programme, which aims at supporting independent investigative journalism in Morocco. The eligible projects should contribute toward the development of the debate on relevant questions to Moroccan society and the ongoing issue of freedom of the press in Morocco.


Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Mysterious release of al-Qaida detainee

The media has been making much of the mystery surrounding the release by U.S. authorities in August 2004 of Abdallah Tabarak a Moroccan, suspected of having once been the bodyguard of Osama bin Laden. Yet it is by no means a new story.

Back in 2003 the news media was making much of his capture: Here is what was being said back then...

With American forces closing in on him during the battle of Tora Bora in late 2001, Osama bin Laden employed a simple trick against sophisticated United State spy technology to vanish into the mountains that led to Pakistan and sanctuary. A Moroccan who was one of bin Laden's long-time bodyguards took possession of the al-Qaeda leader's satellite phone on the assumption that US intelligence agencies were monitoring it to get a fix on their position, said senior Moroccan officials, who have interviewed the bodyguard, Abdallah Tabarak.

Tabarak moved away from bin Laden and his entourage as they fled, using the phone to divert the Americans and allow bin Laden to escape. Tabarak was later captured at Tora Bora in possession of the phone. "He agreed to be captured or die," a Moroccan official said. "That's the level of his fanaticism for bin Laden. It wasn't a lot of time, but it was enough. There is a saying: 'Where there is a frog, the serpent is not far away'."

More than a year later, Tabarak, 43, has become the "emir", or camp leader, of the more than 600 suspected al-Qaeda and Taliban members being held at Camp Delta in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, according to officials who have visited the military compound twice to interview Moroccan citizens.

Some of the prisoners, by symbolically holding day-long fasts on the orders of Tabarak, have maintained some semblance of a command structure in defiance of US attempts to isolate and break them, Moroccan officials said. Tabarak's authority there "comes from his proximity to bin Laden, because of the confidence Osama bin Laden had in him", said a Moroccan intelligence officer. "He has charisma, and all the combatants at Guantanamo are deferential to him."

Tabarak, also known as Abu Omar, is respected even more because he helped bin Laden escape, the official said. The ploy involving the satellite phone is widely known and celebrated among the prisoners at Camp Delta.

But then in August 2004, he was suddenly released and now Tabarak lives near Casablanca, and, although free, is certainly under constant observation.

According to a report in the Washington Post, his case comes to light as the Pentagon gets ready for the first of its military tribunals. It points to the mysteries of U.S. priorities in deciding who to keep and who to let go - neither the Pentagon nor officials in Morocco seem willing to publicly offer any explanation why he was released.

Tabarak's attorney says his importance as an al-Qaida figure has been exaggerated.

And as for the man himself, he is very shy of the media but did speak out in February last year. Tabarak said that he still suffers from the consequences of the torture he underwent at Guantanano.

“I am now concerned about my health. I can’t see very well, because I spent more than eight months in a tiny, dark, and single cell. I also have a constant backache due to the series of beating by American soldiers. I can not sleep now; I still have nightmares,” he said.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Maghreb's anti-globalization activists on the move

Over 450 Maghreban anti-globalization activists, working in various social and immigration fields, have set up a regional social forum in Morocco.

According the Lahbib Kamal, a member of the Moroccan Social Forum steering committee, the 1st session of the Maghreban Forum is scheduled for May 2007. This was announced at a press conference themed "Pateras of Dignity" at the end of the preparatory assembly of the Forum held on January 27 to 29 in the Atlantic town of Bouznika (50 km from Rabat). Patera is the name used in Spain to describe the dinghy boats that illegally ferry would-be immigrants to the European country. As we have reported beforem these precarious boats sometimes capsize or sink in bad weather killing some of the passengers.

This is the result of a process started in July 2004, at the occasion of the second meeting of the Moroccan social forum, where anti-globalization Maghreban activists called for a federation of all the social movement actors as part of the Porte Alegre dynamic, recalled Kamal, adding that the assembly aims to harmonize local, regional and world dynamics as well as to contribute to the strengthening of regional associations' links and to allow networks to emerge.

According to the organizers, the Maghreban Social Forum will be a space for elaborating alternatives in accordance to the wishes of the people of the region.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Immigrant smuggling. Spain detains 200

Moroccan measure to curb immigrant-smuggling rings appear to have had some effect. However instead of curtailing the illegal movement of people, they may have simply shifted the problem elsewhere.

In the biggest such swoop this year, Spanish police have detained about 200 African undocumented immigrants. The north and sub-Saharan Africans were captured off Almeria and Granada on the southern coast as well as the Canary Islands after arriving on five boats over the week-end. According to reports in the Spanish press they were in good health except for two, who were treated for hypothermia.

There has been some use of electronic detection devices but the latest group of immigrants are reported to have travelled from the southern part of Moroccan-controlled Western Sahara and from Mauritania to western Canary Islands - areas which are not yet covered by electronic surveillance systems.

Boats leaving from Mauritania look like fishing vessels, with the would-be immigrants pretending to be crew.

More than 10 000 African illegals were arrested on and off the Spanish coast and in the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla last year, with the situation peaking in the autumn when Spain and Morocco sent thousands of police and soldiers to prevent thousands of migrants from climbing over the border fences surrounding Melilla and Ceuta.

Morocco deported large numbers of sub-Saharans to the desert and hundreds of them are now waiting in Mauritania to cross over to the Canaries, according to the Spanish daily El Mundo.

The situation inside the Spanish enclaves is just as dire. When potential immigrants from Morocco, Algeria or other African states manage to enter Ceuta or Melilla without being checked, they discover that the next step, namely crossing to Spain, is far more difficult. The Spanish authorities make sure that the ('the paperless') cannot head in that direction, even though they are officially on Spanish soil. Even if they succeed in crossing, on the other side of the straits - whether in Algeciras, Almeria or Malaga - further checks and strict control by border guards and police are waiting for them. Meanwhile, more and more migrants in Ceuta and Melilla, hoping for legal status and the opportunity to travel on, have to spend a long time in overflowing camps. The situation in the camps, which have expanded dramatically in recent years, is marked by inadequate sanitary facilities, lack of drinking water and generally poor provisions. The food, for example, is insufficient and not at all adapted to the needs of different religious groups.

The Calamocarro camp in Ceuta, originally intended for 400 people, is now notorious all over Spain for its unendurable living conditions. The fact that up eo 2,000 men, women and children from Algeria and other African states have been locked in there for periods of up to six months or more has brought protests again and again from human rights organizations and NGO's. The La Granja camp near Melilla has an equally disastrous reputation. When the move to a new camp was delayed in September 1999, the inhabitants lost all patience and riots broke out, leaving the camp practically demolished. The installation of refugee camps in the Spanish enclaves is just one more step in the shift forward of Fortress Europe onto the African continent.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Evangelical stumble?

Liosliath in the blog Morocco Time has an update on the evangelist who was heading out to Morocco to harvest a few souls. The update is here: Update on the Evangelist

If you missed the fascinating saga, then maybe start here and follow the links: Evangelical Missionaries in Morocco.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, evangelical

Islamic architecture workshop

The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Isesco) was set up way back in 1979 at the Tenth Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, which was held in our historic city of Fez. The following year, the Statute (Charter) of Isesco was adopted at the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers, which convened in Islamabad, Pakistan, in May 1980. Important objects of Isesco are: To strengthen and promote cooperation among member states and consolidate it in the fields of education, science, culture and communication; to develop applied sciences and use of advanced technology within the framework of the lofty and perennial Islamic values and ideals; To consolidate Islamic culture, protect the independence of Islamic thought against cultural invasion and distortion factors, and safeguard the features and distinct characteristics of the Islamic civilisation.

The latest initiative is four-day workshop on the management and conservation of Islamic architecture that got under way at the Salalah hall of Haffa House in Muscat. It was organised by Ministry of Heritage and Culture and the National Committee for Education, Culture and Sciences, in partnership with the Morocco-based Isesco and will introduce participants to basic knowledge, information and updates of Islamic architecture and current topics regarding heritage management, set down the underlying principles of value-based heritage management, identify strategies pertaining to Islamic heritage management and explain techniques for the conservation of Islamic monuments. The four-day workshop will be followed by a field trip.

Given the pressing problems of conservation of the Islamic architecture in Morocco, it is to be hoped that information from the meeting will transform into action on the ground in Morocco where restoration and conservation is under a lot of pressure from development and the sale of properties to western investors. See our story: Too much of a good thing?

Speaking at the inauguration, Ali Rashid Al Mudhirwi, assistant manager, department of castles and forts at the Ministry of Heritage and Culture, said that they are proud of the rich, historical cultural heritage of Oman and there is a need to keep that alive for the posterity. He said this workshop is being held as part of the celebrations marking Muscat as capital of Arab Culture. He averred that history is the collective memory of people and historic buildings tell us the story of our past. And thus we need to take care of them with affection.

He said that this workshop would highlight the different aspects of Islamic architecture and the need to preserve them.

Talking to the Times of Oman, Dr Monther Jamhawi, vice-dean of Queen Rania College and professor of architecture at the Hashemite University, who is a part of the organising team, said that Islamic heritage is threatened not only by physical decay but also by the changing socioeconomic conditions prevailing in society.

He said that this workshop would explain the Islamic architecture as a concept, Islamic city, its beginning and development, management of cultural heritage and conservation of Islamic monuments. He said there is a common myth that Islamic architecture is identified with domes and arches.

He explained: “Islamic architecture starts with how people lived and does not attach much importance to material components. Take for instance souqs, traditional homes, open spaces, etc. which do not have any link with domes and arches.” Showering his encomiums on the government, Dr Monther said this workshop reflects the determination on the part of the Oman government to focus on Islamic architecture and the need for its protection and restoration.


Sahrij and Sbaiyin Madrassas

Recently American Express announced it is donating USD 75.000 for the rehabilitation of the Sahrij and Sbaiyin Madrassas complex in the historic Medina of Fez.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, Oman

Blogger on the warpath.

You have to love the ripple effect of a good post or article.

When we read Karima Rhanem's report: Evangelical missionaries in Morocco back in the limelight, we followed up with our own response: Evangelical missionaries in Morocco, and now the ripples have flowed on to Morocco Time blog, where our intrepid blogger went a step further and hunted down an evangelist before he even arrived in Morocco!

In a great post she links us to The Warrior's Code where Sam proclaims "I'm looking change my small, Springfield, Ohio outlook to a larger, world perspective". Unfortunately part of that outlook includes heading to Morocco and converting the faithful.

Morocco Time responds: Normally I try to live and let live - if I happen upon a missionary or evangelizer here, I wouldn't turn them in. However, this jerk insulted Scotland in the same scintillating blog entry, "Scotland has never had a king worth bowing to - it's up to us to show them what a great King is like. Amen?" At this, gritting my teeth and muttering bits of "Scotland the Brave" (since part of my family once inhabited Dunbar Castle), I vowed to expose these wack jobs whenever and wherever they're found.

We await further developments. Let us hope Sam the Warrior does not end up as a 'news brief' item.

Go to source: Morocco Time : Love the Lord but Burn Evangelists at the Stake.

UPDATE:

And now Sam enters the fray and Morocco Time responds:

“Do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation other than in a most kindly manner – except those of them who did wrong and are oppressors – and say ‘we believe in that which has been sent down to us and that which has been sent down to you; for our God and your God is one and the same, and it is unto Him that we surrender ourselves.’” Quran 29:46

Read more: Morocco Time:1 Peter 3:9 and Quran 22:67-68, 29:46

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Partir - New book by Tahar Ben Jelloun

At the heart of Partir, the new book by Ben Jelloun, is the issue of illegal immigration.

Ben Jelloun was born in Fes, 1944. Educated in French studies, he became a philosophy professor at Tetouan and then left Morocco in 1971 to live in the French capital to do a thesis in psychology. "I had not been educated in the arabisation of philosophy and the teaching of Islamic thought instead of, and in place of, universal thought. That is why I left. For this reason I do not feel as though I am a writer in exile. Even though there have been difficult periods, I have never felt that I could not return; that the doors of my native country had been closed for me."

Partir by Tahar Ben Jelloun, will be published in September 2006 in Italy, (Bompiani Milan) Spain (Groupe 62), Germany (Berlin Verlag) and Sweden (Alphabeta).

European current affairs magazine, Cafe Babel has an interview with Ben Jelloun that is worth reading.

Go to source: Cafe babel.

The Ben Jelloun site ( French )

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, Literature

What is happening across the border?

Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP) are reporting unrest in Algeria. According to the reports some 300 young Algerians attempted to cross the border to Morocco in protest at social conditions, such as deterioration of their living conditions, problems related to housing, roads, schools and drinkable water. For their part the Algerian media is claiming the problems are more related to the cancelling of a football match.

There have been various similar incidents in recent times, but the trouble last Thursday in the Algerian town of El-Abed ( across the border from the Moroccan village of Sidi Boubker, 80km from the city of Oujda in north-eastern Morocco) is the largest to date.

According to MAP several Algerian cities have recently witnessed similar demonstrations in protest of the deterioration of economic and social conditions in the country.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

This week's most viewed posts

Each week we track the most popular posts so that we can get an idea of what you like to read about. Here are the top posts from the last seven days.

A rare Islamic experiment

Learn Moroccan cooking in Fes

Morocco at a glance - A quick tour.

Joujouka - Sufi Trance Masters

Fes Festival of World Sacred Music Program

Black Widow - A novel on the aftermath of Beslan.

And our favourite blog this week is a French language blog.



Moroccan journalist, Nadia Lamlili, won the CNN Francophone General Award, an annual prize in recognition of African journalists. Lamlili's award was for an article on migration to the north shore of the Mediterranean Sea. The piece focused on the intentions of migrants, the difficulties they encounter and the groups that profit from the human tragedy. Nadia's Blog.

And this week from Global Voices: Moroccan blog roundup


Tags: Recipes Morocco Islam
Fes, Literature

Moroccan News Briefs - #18

Moroccan News Briefs published in The View From Fez draw on open source material, contributions from readers, as well as material from Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), Morocco Times and official Moroccan Government press releases.

King lays mosque foundation

King Mohammed VI has set in motion the building of a new mosque by laying the foundation stone in "Al Matar" place in the northern town of Tetuan. According to the Morocco Times, the mosque is expected to cost MAD 18Mn, about US$ 02Mn. The mosque is to be constructed on 4970 m2, in 24 months and would accommodate up to 3000 people for prayer. The facility comprises a room for men and another for women, a library and a Koranic school.

After the Friday noon prayers at the Hassan II mosque of Tetuan, The king was briefed on the literacy program conducted in the mosques of the kingdom by The Habous and Islamic Affairs Ministry.

In The 2005-2006 academic year, some 60,000 people benefited from the literacy program courses dispensed by 2091 teachers in 1655 mosques throughout the country, including 677 in rural areas.

The Ministry literacy program to span from 2005 to 2010 is to target during this period around 500,000 people to attend the courses in 2334 mosques under a 1837 strong teaching staff and some 265 supervisors. The Habous Ministry earmarked MAD 22.8Mn for 2005-2006 and could spend MAD 53Mn for the program in 2009-2010.

Call to back political solution of Western Sahara issue

"It is in the best interest of the United States, France and Spain to support a political solution to the Sahara conflict," said former UN deputy-secretary general and former special representative of the UN secretary in Western Sahara Eric Jensen. For "different motives, the United States, France and Spain should support a political, negotiated and mutually accepted solution," he said at the opening of an international conference called "Sahara: Visions for the Future" on Thursday (26 January) in Las Palmas, Canary Islands.

The former UN official cited a number of changes that have challenged the region recently -- especially globalisation, terrorism and illegal immigration. He said Morocco witnessed great changes since the coronation of King Mohammed VI, "who has put the country on the way of modernisation, democratisation and respect of human rights". Jensen noted history has shown that "Sahrawis are pragmatic" and that Algeria "aims to leave behind her bitter past".

44% of young say al-Qaida is not a terrorist organisation

A recent survey by the Moroccan daily, L'Economiste has revealed that 44% of young Moroccans aged between 16 and 29 believe that al-Qaida is not a terrorist organisation, 31% said they had no idea whether al-Qaida is a terrorist organisation or not. The paper questioned if the 31% were really ignorant about al-Qaida or whether it was a way of not stating an opinion.

According to L'Economiste, claiming that al-Qaida is not a terrorist organisation is mainly due to the US-led war in Iraq. For 76%, the US war in Iraq is unjustified and negative. The paper said there is a real condemnation by the Moroccan youth of the US foreign policy. �For them the al-Qaida represents an opposition to the US power. That could explain why many young Moroccan say al-Qaida is not a terrorist organisation,� explained the paper. However in an interesting socio-economic view, the survey points to the fact that those who asserted al-Qaida is not a terrorist organisation belong to lower socio-economic groups. Only 30% of rich people said it is not. "The poorer we are, the more we love al-Qaida," reported L'Economiste.

In other findings the survey, which questioned a sample of 776 young people, showed that 85% of young Moroccans practise their religion regardless of where they live or their social background. 99% of young men and women fast in Ramadan, and 90% of them perform their prayers regularly or occasionally. Only 9% of them declared they had never prayed.

The survey stated that age is not a factor that contributes to the change in religious habits. However, the social background may be a reason why some young people don't perform their religious rituals. The survey said there are more "non-performers" among the rich and middle class: 16% of them belonging to rich families said they don't pray or have never prayed; 8% from Middle class and 9% from poor families.

Asked about marriage, 67% of them said they could marry a non-Moroccan, but 73% said they won't marry a non-Muslim. In a surprising finding, given the influence of modernity in Morocco, the survey also revealed that 49% of young men prefer their wives to wear the veil.

These results explain, according to the paper, that the majority of Moroccans feel themselves Muslims before being Moroccans. "And this gives us an idea about the identity of the adults of tomorrow," stated the paper.

Huge drug hauls in north-east Morocco

Authorities in the north-east region of Morocco seized over 15 tons of chira (extract of cannabis) in 2005 to 18 tons in 2004, a senior Customs officer in the region said. The drug was seized in 650 operations lead by local authorities in the north-east towns of Oujda, Taza, Nador and Al Hoceima. The figures were announced by El Arbi Belbachir, Customs Director of the north-east region, in a press conference during the celebration of the World Customs day.

The said quantities do not include other substances seized as (kif, tobacco, cocaine, heroine, and ecstasy), Belbachir stressed.

UNESCO sets up chair at Al Akhawayn University

The UN Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Moroccan university Al Akhawayn of Ifrane have signed an agreement to set up a UNESCO chair under the theme "Water, Women and Decision Power". The main objective is to teach women in rural areas how to use water as a sustainable resource, as well as to facilitate collaboration between professors, researchers and decision-makers with UNESCO/chair international network members -- particularly in Argentina, Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Brazil.

African Cup hopes bleak

Morocco desperately need to come out victorious in their last Group A fixture against Libya on Saturday while hoping for already-qualified Cote d'Ivoire to beat hosts Egypt, if they are to make it through to the second round of the African Cup of Nations. The 2004 finalists, who are yet to score a goal in the tournament after a 1-0 defeat and a goalless draw, are third in the pool standings with only one point.

Full Story: Morocco Times - Atlas Lions grasp at straws.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Hamas victory and the rush to judgment

Today we woke up and the sky was a different color. We have entered a new era - Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, of Fatah.

While many Palestinians who have been disillusioned with a Fatah weakened by divisions and corruption allegations and yearning for change are celebrating the landslide victory, the blogosphere and the mainstream media seem to be in a rush to judgment over the win by Hamas in the Palestinian elections.

The Ottawa Citizen published an article today headed Hamas won't change its spots, by Barry Rubin... "Why should we believe that Hamas will do anything other than murdering thousands of people and installing a terrible dictatorship over Palestinians? Well, there's always naive wishful thinking."

The Blogger News Network was frankly horrified:

If you've ever said that it's not the Palestinian people that hate Israel, just their government...

...if you've ever said that the Palestinians just want to live in peace with the Jewish state...

... if you've ever had any illusions about what it would take to get peace between Arabs and Jews in the Middle East...

...this is your wake-up call.

Palestine Blogs was slightly hopeful... "I believe that since Palestinians are all alone facing their destiny with no one ever being able to stop their suffering, then it�s only Palestinians who have the right to choose their representatives. Let�s give Hamas a chance, and hope that things will become better� I know I sound extremely optimistic, but let�s wait and see!"

Beshara Doumani from the Department of History at Berkeley, writing in the hikm: an attempt at wisdom blog sees that ... "On the regional level, Hamas� victory is part of a larger trend of the ascendance of political Islam via the iconic vehicle of the secular liberal political order of the Enlightenment: the ballot box. The incredible scenes of women supporters of the Muslim Brothers in Egypt scaling walls in order to reach polling stations sealed off by police sent in to prevent a certain electoral defeat of the ruling government party, reveals a great deal about the determination of Islamist political parties that have swept to victories in many other countries, including Iraq and the limited municipal elections in Saudi Arabia."

Ed Lasky writing in The American Thinker says that Hamas will not moderate when in power: "When Hezbollah became part of the Lebanese government it only emboldened them. Now Hamas looks set to become the leading Parliamentary party in the Palestinian areas and will likely assume control of the region."

In a well-reasoned piece Sabbah ( Back to Nowhere ) points out that Hamas has no experience in running a government. Fatah, he says "...must have learned by now that they need a new blood to run the field. They failed miserably in all what they did in the past few years". He also draws attention to the fact that "While this is the situation in Palestine, we have to keep in mind that this elections represent ONLY Palestinians inside Palestine. Not a single vote was cast by millions of Palestinian living in the Diaspora. This is another lesson Fateh should learn".

The Israelis and Americans appear horrified by the outcome of a democratic vote, yet there are other voices in the Arab world who appear to be taking a more cautious "wait and see" approach.


Queen Rania of Jordan (who is of Palestinian origin):

"It remains to be seen how Hamas will step up to the plate now they're in a position of responsibility: Whether they will pursue a peaceful track and change their course or whether they will remain focused on the ideology they've propagated in the past."



Afghan President Hamid Karzai:

"If the people of Palestine have expressed their will by voting for Hamas, we should respect that will, and give Hamas a chance to prove itself while in government." He also urged Hamas to have what he called "the courage" to treat Israel as a nation which has an equal right to exist as the Palestinians do. And he called on Israel to treat the Palestinians as a nation, and to try to live with them as well.

Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf:

"Let's give Hamas a chance. If Hamas was the organization obstructing peace previously, they may be the organization to have the power to reach for peace also."
He also stated that previous politicians who had been considered warmongers by Muslims, notably Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, had transformed themselves into peacemakers.


Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi:

"The Islamic Republic of Iran congratulates Hamas and all the Palestinian soldiers and the great Islamic people. The Palestinians have voted for the resistance and have shown their loyalty. The allies of the Zionist regime must closely examine the evolution of the region and open their eyes to the undisputable realities of the Middle East. The result of these elections will reinforce the unity of the Palestinian people in defending their rights. The massive participation of the Palestinians shows their will to continue the struggle and resistance against occupation."

The reaction from the European Union has been more guarded, though not openly dismissive. The EU, the biggest provider of aid to the Palestinian Authority, said it would work with any Palestinian government that is committed to peace.

"We are happy to work with any government if that government is prepared to work by peaceful means," said external relations commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner in a statement.

"In holding competitive and credible elections the Palestinians have shown their commitment to determine their political future via democratic means," she added.



TIME FOR CAUTION.

There is no doubt that the Hamas landslide has shifted the balance of power in the West Bank and Gaza Strip away from the Fatah Party that has dominated Palestinian life for four decades. Yet the transition will not be without incident.

Across Gaza and the West Bank, thousands of Hamas supporters, marched, danced and sang in the streets, firing guns in the air in celebration. Streets in Hamas strongholds were awash in the group's hallmark green banner. Within hours of the victory Fatah official, Abu Ali Shaheen, was predicting heightened friction between Fatah and Hamas. Hamas' members "do not accept the other," he said. "If they don't dominate him and oppress him, then they think of pushing him aside."

Hamas official Naji al-Serhi dismissed such worries.

"We want to reassure all the brothers in the police and the security forces that we will not fire anyone unless they break the law," he said. "We are a disciplined movement...that does not settle scores."

But some trouble was immediate. Fatah loyalists clashed with triumphant Hamas supporters who briefly raised their green flags at the entrance to the Palestinian parliament in Ramallah. Fatah activists trampled on one of the banners when it was lowered. Shots were fired nearby.

We give the last sobering word to Karim Elsahy from the One Arab World blog:

"The terrorist organization has become the government. They can no longer hide under the pretence of splinter guerrilla factions. The next attack will be a formal declaration of war between two nations. Any advantage Hamas may have had under those pretences are now gone. Their old methods don�t stand a chance in this new paradigm shift."

Tags: Morocco, Palestine, Hamas Victory, news

100 days of detention, 100 days of hope

Abdelkrim Mouhafidi and Abderrahim Boualam, abducted in Iraq by Al Qaeda in Mesopotamia, and today marks their first 100 days in detention. Petitions have circulated and behind the scenes diplomats have been doing their best to locate the pair. There is no word of their fate and yet Moroccans and others around the world continue to pray for their release. Link to the latest story below.

Go to source: Maghreb Arabe Presse: Moroccan hostages in Iraq:

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

EU council ready to support Morocco's democratic reforms

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is ready to support the democratic reforms programme ushered in Morocco, EU senior officials Bruno Haller and Mateo Sorinas stated after a meeting with Justice and Reconciliation Commission (IER) chairman Driss Benzekri in Strasbourg, France, Tuesday (24 January). Moroccan efforts towards law, human rights and civil and individual liberties are in line with EU council actions, said Haller, hailing the "unprecedented" experience of the IER, set up to look into and settle past rights abuses in Morocco between 1956 and 1999.

The EU Council can support Morocco in human right education and legislative reforms, notably in terms of fighting torture and ill-treatments," Haller said, underlining that the two parties "will further develop and consolidate" their co-operation. Sorinas said the IER's actions should have external support and called for closer relations between Moroccan and European members of parliament to promote a culture of tolerance based on respect of human rights.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

"Condom Culture" accusation from Islamists

The Inter Press Service in Rome is reporting that a telethon to raise AIDS awareness has caused a dispute between religious groups and other parts of society.

"The telethon held up use of condoms as the best way to protect oneself from HIV," said a long article in the PJD daily Attajdid (The Revival). In promoting use of the condom, the association was "copying foreign programmes and trying to implement them in Moroccan society without regard to Morocco as an Islamic country." The article condemned the organisers over "the condoms used in the telethon were designed by a French architect who had been brought to Morocco especially for this."

The article went on to say that; "fidelity to religion and marriage" are the way to fight AIDS, which it described as "divine punishment".

Such suggestions have been strongly challenged. "This is neither new nor accidental in our political and community life," writer Mohamed Janboubi told IPS. His recent work 'Marabouts in Morocco' shows that ancient religious leaders in Morocco fought against fundamentalism and obscurantism has been a bestseller in Morocco.

Read the full article here: Civil 'War' Over Condoms

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Update on the Fes Sacred Music Festival

According to the latest press release from the Festival...

From 3 to 7 June, at the Batha Museum , the colloquium �Les Rencontres de Fes: Giving Soul to Globalisation" will take place for the 6 th time. More than a hundred participants from all over the world will meet over five days to speak of their experiences and to define perspectives of hope by way of dialogue between cultures and conflict resolution.

We invite you to take a look at the five themes that will be presented.

At the round tables and in the workshops that are part of the ‘Rencontres’, we are particularly pleased to welcome award- winning filmmaker Wim Wenders, as well as Benjamin Barber, Leila Chahid, Katherine Marshall, Abdou Filali Ansari, Pierre Rabhi, Nicolas Hulot and many more personalities who are passionate about the protection of human values …

LINK: Fez Sacred Music Festival program details

Tags: Morocco, Fès, Maghreb, news

Morocco's Equity and Reconciliation Commission - Update

The Moroccan government must be very happy with both the political and media coverage that has followed the release of Morocco's Equity and Reconciliation Commission report.

Overwhelmingly it has been positive. While nobody claims there is still not a lot of work to be done, the steps taken by Morocco have set it on a path that few other Islamic states have embarked.

The latest article on the Commission comes from Georgie Anne Geyer who has a fine reputation for her opinion pieces on foreign affairs issues.

Her piece is worth reading. You will find it here: MOROCCO'S TRANSITION A MODEL FOR MIDDLE EAST AND BEYOND

Links to our earlier coverage:

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Truth Commission Findings.

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: Equity and Reconciliation Commission get regional thumbs up.

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: King's address: full text

THE VIEW FROM FEZ: King's call for "collective forgiveness"

Tags: Morocco, Fès, Maghreb, news

Evangelical missionaries in Morocco

The general disquiet in Moroccan society about American evangelism appears to be justified. It is time the evangelists realised that respecting each others religious beliefs is important - as is respecting the laws of the country you are living in.

Photo: Morocco Times

Last week the Moroccan daily al-Ittihad al-Ichtiraki reported that police in Marrakech had recently seized documents which confirm the existence of a secret evangelical group operating in the city. The documents were seized in the apartment in Yacoub al-Mansour neighbourhood where an alleged foreign missionary lived with his wife and two daughters. The report claims that the missionary vanished when he learned that police were coming to interview him. Sources say that the seized documents reveal the existence of secret spiritual schools in Gu�liz, and al-Inara (central Marrakech) set up to teach Moroccans the concepts of Christianity.

According to the 2004 International Religious Freedom report, the Moroccan Constitution provides for freedom of religion, and the Government generally respects this right in practice, there are some restrictions. For example, proselytizing is forbidden in Morocco with the result that any attempt to induce a Muslim to convert is illegal.

According to Article 220 of the Moroccan Penal Code, any attempt to stop one or more persons from the exercise of their religious beliefs or from attendance at religious services is unlawful and may be punished by 3-6 months' imprisonment and a fine of $10 to $50 (115 to 575 dirhams). The article applies the same penalty to "anyone who employs incitements to shake the faith of a Muslim or to convert him to another religion."

In today's Morocco Times, Karima Rhanem has a detailed article looking at the recent developments and also events last year when the debate on Moroccan Christians reached its peak when the Moroccan authorities deported a South African pastor.

Read Karima Rhanem's report here: Evangelical missionaries in Morocco back in the limelight.

See the flow on from this post: Blogger on the warpath.

Love the Lord but Burn Evangelists at the Stake.

Tags: Morocco, Evangelism, Maghreb, news

Moroccan Torture Charges - Turkish press claims

On the same day that Dick Marty, the Swiss senator investigating into alleged CIA secret prisons in Europe, claimed that there is evidence the US “outsourced torture�? to other countries and it is likely that European governments knew about it, the Turkish press was reporting Moroccan security forces as have arrested 31 of their own colleagues in the police and prison administration on charges of torture. The Turkish press (Turkish Daily News- Ankara) said they were quoting a Moroccan a justice ministry spokesman. "They face legal action under the new law banning torture," said the official, who asked not to be named, explaining that the 17 police officers, nine prison officials and five gendarmes were picked up last year. The kingdom was the first Arabic-speaking nation to introduce legislation outlawing torture, which was passed by parliament in October 2005. The law provides for prison terms of between five and 15 years for anyone convicted of the offense. "The ministry will see that everything is done to prevent such abuse by the agents of the authorities and if it is established that any one of them has broken the law, he will be pursued for it," the official said.

While The View from Fez can not substantiate this report we do note that Justice Minister Cemil Cicek went to Morocco on Saturday evening as the guest of Moroccan Justice Minister Mohamed Bouzoubaa.

Speaking to reporters before his departure in Istanbul, Cicek said that the Moroccan Justice Minister visited Turkey a short time ago. ''We will sign a protocol on judicial cooperation,'' Cicek added.

Moroccan Justice Minister Mohamed Bouzoubaa welcomed Cicek when he arrived in Rabat, Morocco late Saturday. Noting that the judicial cooperation protocol would be signed on Monday, Bouzoubaa said that the protocol urged cooperation in countering terrorism and organized crime.

Cicek's visit will last three days.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

The Century of Women

Today's editorial in the Morocco Times by the veteran Moroccan journalist and columnist, Omar Alaoui (pictured left), comments on the rise of women to power around the globe. Alaoui is an interesting character in the Moroccan media.

Coming from Habous in Casablanca, Alaoui has been a working journalist for some 40 years and has a reputation for independence and a mischievous style.

It seems that the beginning of this century, despite all the hurricanes, earthquakes, and the spread of terrorism, is laden with good news and beautiful surprises. The best of these is the advances that women all over the world have achieved, irrespective of race, ethnicity or colour.

.... Therefore, this century might be a feminine one. I wish them more advancement.

Read the editorial: The century of women

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Moroccan News Briefs - #17

Moroccan News Briefs published in The View From Fez draw on open source material, contributions from readers, as well as material from Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), Morocco Times and official Moroccan Government press releases.

Morocco to unveil its plan for Western Sahara in April

Morocco is planning to submit a proposal in April to grant autonomy to Western Sahara. An unnamed Moroccan source close to the situation told Reuters, "Morocco will certainly present a paper (in April) in the framework of autonomy, but not independence. The UN has stated that it would welcome any Moroccan proposal in this direction".

The Moroccan government has repeatedly said it had a new plan to unblock the diplomatic impasse over Western Sahara, but it has never set a date for unveiling it. The UN Security Council has regularly adopted resolutions pressing Morocco and the Polisario to resolve their three-decade long impasse.

Spain requested to ban 'Polisario criminals'.

The chairman of the Association des disparus victimes du Polisario, Dahi Agay, sent a letter on Monday to the Spanish Foreign Ministry asking to ban Polisario torturers Spanish territory.

The letter, a copy of which was sent to the Moroccan News Agency office in Madrid, said alleged torturers such as Brahim Ghali, delegate of the Polisario separatist movement in Madrid, have to be banned from staying in Spain.

Agay said he was "pained by the welcome and support Spain gives to the torturers who victimize the true sons of the Sahara."

The Algeria-backed Polisario has been inflicting untold suffering to Sahrawis living in the camps of Tindouf, south-west Algeria, after the populations were lured into the camps in mid seventies by false propaganda and the movement's claim to separate the Moroccan southern provinces, known as the Sahara, from the motherland.

The southern provinces were retrieved in 1975 by Morocco from the Spanish rule in line with the Madrid accords signed by Spain, Morocco and Mauritania.

The association for the disappeared victims of the Polisario said the presence on the Spanish territory of Polisario criminals is abnormal and an offence that does not honour a democratic country, such as Spain that paid a high price for freedom?".

It denounces alleged Polisario criminals such as Brahim Ghali, Lincolon EL Mahjoub, Ahmeddou Ould Bad, Mohamed Louchaa Oubeid, Omar Boulsan Ould Salek and Mouilid Lahcen and other alleged torturers representing the separatist movement in Spain.

"We ask Spain, in line with resolutions and reports of international
organisations, such as Amnesty International, to ban these torturers from staying on its territory and that they are brought to justice?," the association said.

Three Brits awarded Alaouite Wissam

Three British personalities from the world of business received Moroccan royal decorations in recognition of their efforts in reinforcing friendship and cooperation ties between Morocco and Great Britain.

Josef J. Gaggero, president of the British airliner, GB Airways, and chairman of the British Moroccan Society, was awarded the Alaouite Wissam with the rank of commander, Jim Furlong, president of the Sunways company, and Annie Austin, director of CLM Limited were both awarded the Alaouite Wissam with the rank of officer. The Wissams were handed by the Moroccan ambassador in London, Mohamed Belmahi.

"Under the enlightened leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, Morocco achieves significant progress in all fields, especially in tourism," underlined Gaggero, who said he was honored by the royal decoration.

Annie Austin said that, by its strategic location, its culture and its multiple potentials, Morocco is a very promising market in tourism.

Furlong expressed the conviction that the reforms introduced in Morocco will surely attract more Irish investors.

African Union Summit opens in Khartoum

The 6th ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) opened today in the Sudanese capital Khartoum amid controversy over Sudan's candidacy for the presidency of the Union. During the two-day summit, African leaders will discuss critical issues, especially the Darfur conflict.

The country hosting the Union's summit traditionally becomes the next head of the body. But most analysts expect the long lasting problem in the Darfur area could prevent president Omar el-Beshir (pictured above) from gaining the chairmanship.

Full Story: Morocco Times.

Tags: Morocco, Fes, Maghreb, news

Morocco fight for survival

Morocco's 2004 African Nations Cup finalists could find themselves making an ignominious early exit at the hands of host nation Egypt on Tuesday.

With Ivory Coast expected to comfortably beat Libya and reach six points in the day's earlier game, Group A's two slots in the quarter-finals could be wrapped up if Egypt notch their second win of the tournament.

Morocco are an attractive side going forward, moving smoothly through the gears with their neat short-passing game from midfield. But they paid a high price for a lack of finishing in their 1-0 weekend defeat by the Ivorians and will need to make the most of what looks a more suspect defence.

While Arsenal's Ivorian defensive pair Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue were kept busy tackling and charging down most of Morocco's attacks, Egypt's defenders made a number of unforced errors in their 3-0 win over the Libyans on Friday.

Morocco's French-born striker Marouane Chamakh will doubtless provide a sterner test for a home team who view the support of their own fans as very much a double-edged sword.

Though euphoric in victory, the pressure they exert during games can be a real handicap to their players' performances and they may not be patient at Cairo's International Stadium on Tuesday.

Egypt's hopes rest on the broad shoulders of talismanic striker Mido, scorer of their first goal at the tournament and whose missed penalty led to their third in the ensuing melee.

Though relieved to have made a winning start, Mido made it clear that not too much could be read into their win over a shaky Libya side who finished with 10 men.

Tags: Morocco, Fès, Maghreb, news

Moroccan News Briefs - #16

Moroccan News Briefs published in The View From Fez draw on open source material, contributions from readers, as well as material from Maghreb Arabe Presse (MAP), Morocco Times and official Moroccan Government press releases.

Canary Islands seek "neighbourhood plan" with Morocco

The Canary Islands is seeking $121 million to develop the "Great Neighbourhood Plan" with Morocco. The programme will promote co-operation with Morocco in various fields and contribute to reduce illegal immigration.

At the end of a meeting with Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Commissioner in charge of foreign relations and neighborhood policy, Martin Menis said this program will promote cooperation with Morocco in various fields and contribute to reduce illegal immigration.He also stressed that the EU should promote co-operation and humanitarian aid policies in sub-Saharan Africa and to develop the "Great Neighbourhood Plan" suggested by the European Commission in May 2004.

Cited by the Canary Islands news agency “ACN”, Martin Menis recalled that the European policy of neighborhood cannot be carried out beyond Morocco, pointing out that the European Union should promote cooperation and humanitarian aid policy to guarantee development in the sub-Saharan Africa.

Morocco denies secret interrogation reports.

On Saturday the government of Morocco denied reports that the country had taken in al-Qaida suspects for secret interrogations by the CIA.

The Moroccan weekly, Le Journal Hebdomadaire, reported that two private planes had landed at the Sale military base near the capital, Rabat, in late December and early January, carrying suspected al-Qaida members sent by the U.S. intelligence agency.

"We categorically deny this information," Interior Minister Mustapha Sahel( pictured left) said, and added that he was "indignant about this type of irresponsible information aimed at sowing trouble."

He also underlined "with regret that the publication of this erroneous and partial information falls under the newspaper's line, which is characterised particularly by aggressiveness and the will to mislead."

The General Inspector of the Royal Armed Forces, General Abdelaziz Bennani also denied these “allegations".

He "regretted that certain newspapers do not check their information before publishing it.”

The private newspaper, Le Journal Hebdomadaire, was legally pursued several times for allegedly making false reports.

The latest lawsuit, which will start next Thursday in Casablanca, opposes the newspaper to the European Strategic Intelligent and Security Center (ESISC), based in Brussels.

ESISC has recently published a study on Morocco, which Le Journal Hebdomadaire described as favourable to Morocco and alleged that arrangements had taken place between the Moroccan authorities and the ESISC.

A Washington Post report in November alleged that the CIA flew terrorism suspects around the world to a network of clandestine prisons. The Council of Europe, Europe's human rights watchdog, is investigating claims that the prisoners were shipped through European airports - in breach of international and national laws.

A Swiss investigator in the case, Dick Marty, said in December that the prisoners held in Europe were hurriedly sent to North Africa - possibly to Morocco - when word of the secret program leaked out. The CIA declined to comment.

The report in Le Journal Hebdomadaire said the planes' "deliveries" to Morocco were then transferred to a detention center run by the Moroccan security agency, known by its French acronym DST, in Temara, just outside the capital.

An Amnesty International report in 2004 accused Moroccan investigators of "systematic" torture and mistreatment of inmates at the Temara detention center.

Morocco's prime minister acknowledged that there were isolated cases of prisoner abuse but promised the government would crack down on such mistreatment.

Morocco is party to the following UN human rights treaties which have corresponding treaty bodies:; the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the United Nations Committee Against Torture, the International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Morocco has also signed the Rome Status of theInternational Criminal Court.

Morocco football setback

A controversial penalty converted by Didier Drogba (pictured above) gave the Ivory Coast a 1-0 win over Morocco in the second Group A game at the African Cup of Nations on Saturday. The Elephants were awarded the penalty when Walid Regragui was judged to have dragged down Drogba in the 37th minute. But television replays show that the initial contact was made outside the area. Drogba scored from the spot with a low shot into the left-hand corner that beat Tarik El-Jarmouni, who dived the right way but was unable to get his hand to the ball.

The match was played out in front of an almost empty Cairo International Stadium - a sharp contrast to the turn out for Egypt's win over Libya on Friday. Drogba's goal stung the Moroccans into seeking an equaliser but the Ivorian defence, marshalled by Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Eboue, held firm.

The second half saw Youssef Hadji and Maroune Chamakh initiate a series of spirited attacks. But with Ivorian goalkeeper Jean-Jacques Tizie in fine form, the Moroccans grew increasingly desperate.

The crowd and the man controlling the stadium scoreboard were briefly fooled by a 20-yard strike from Youssef Hadji, which seemed to hit the back of the net - but the ball had actually hit the side netting, to the disappointment of the Moroccan fans.

Morocco are now third in Group A, with zero points and a goal against. Hosts Egypt, who sealed a 3-0 victory over Libya in the tournament's opener on Friday, are group leaders with three points, followed by Côte d'Ivoire on goal difference. The Libyans are at the bottom with no point and three goals against.

The Atlas Lions will take on the Pharaohs on Tuesday in the second match of the group stage, while the Elephants face outsiders Libya on the same day.

“The game against Egypt will be decisive,” Fakher said. “We will have to win if we are to stay on course for a ticket to the coming round. We will join efforts to come out victorious and make a better performance,” the Morocco coach concluded.

Tags: Morocco, Fès, Maghreb, news