- Washington “follows with interest” Morocco’s openness onto Africa (John Kerry)Posted 11 years ago
- The trial of South African Paralympic champion Oscar Pistorius opened in Pretoria on Monday.Posted 11 years ago
- USA welcomes efforts of King Mohammed VI in MaliPosted 11 years ago
- Egypt’s population reaches 94 millionPosted 11 years ago
- Mugabe celebrates his 90thPosted 11 years ago
- Moroccan Monarch to Build a Perinatal Clinic in BamakoPosted 11 years ago
- King Mohammed VI handed a donation of bovine semen for the benefit of Malian breeders.Posted 11 years ago
- Moroccan King’s strategic tour to Africa: Strengthening the will of pan African Solidarity and stimulating the south-south cooperation mechanisms over the continentPosted 12 years ago
- Senior al-Qaida leader killed in AlgeriaPosted 12 years ago
- Libya: The trial of former Prime Minister al-Baghdadi AliPosted 12 years ago
Francois Hollande praised the success story of Morocco and reaffirms France’s backing for the Initiative of the Autonomy status of Western Sahara
Morocco is taking “decisive steps” towards democracy, French President François Hollande said Thursday in a speech to the country’s parliament. Hollande also called for a solution to the long-running conflict over the Western Sahara.
French President Francois Hollande on Thursday hailed “decisive steps” taken by Morocco towards democracy.
“Every day, your country takes decisive steps towards democracy,” he said in a speech to parliament on the second and final day of a visit to the North African country.
He praised in particular a new Constitution introduced by King Mohammed VI in 2011 in response to Arab Spring protests then sweeping the region, saying it guaranteed “tolerance” and “recognized the diverse character of Morocco’s identity.”
A key aspect of the text was its support for the country’s large Berber community, with their Amazigh language officially recognized.
On the issue of Western Sahara, Hollande warned that a solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, where a UN peacekeeping force has been deployed for two decades, was more important than ever given the Islamist revolt raging in northern Mali.
“The economic potential is enormous. But I am also aware of the obstacles, and the question of the Western Sahara, which has been waiting to be resolved for more than 30 years,” he told Moroccan lawmakers.
“The current stand-off is detrimental to everyone, to the separated families, to the refugees, to the tensions between the Maghreb countries. And the crisis in the Sahel makes it more urgent to put an end to this situation,” he said.
But he renewed France’s backing for the Moroccan Initiative for the Autonomy status of Western Sahara
The president began his visit followed by a large French press corps. In a square in the city centre, Hollande was greeted by a cheering but sparse Moroccan crowd, before heading to the royal palace for talks with the King.
At the royal palace on Wednesday some 30 bilateral accords worth an estimated 300 million euros were signed by Ministers and business leaders, notably in transport, agriculture, education and renewable energy sectors.
Later, Hollande inaugurated a pilot water purifying plant in Casablanca, Morocco’s largest city, built by an affiliate of French utility firm GDF Suez and capable of treating 3,800 cubic metres of water daily.
Speaking to the French community in Casablanca afterwards, the president laid the emphasis firmly on “consolidating the friendship” and “confirming the ties” between the two countries, making only oblique reference to the political crisis in France.
