Contract for Khalifa medical complex in Morocco signed

A contract for building the Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed specialised medical complex in Casablanca, Morocco, was signed Wednesday between Abu Dhabi Municipality and French Jacob France Engineering Consultancy Group.

The US$ 100 million health facility will be built by a donation offered by UAE President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Director General of Abu Dhabi Municipality Juma Al Junaibi said the French consultant will undertake the works of architecture, design and supervision of the 65,000 square metre health facility where the built up area will be around 40,000 square metres.
”The centre will be completed in 30 months,”he said, adding that the project will also include commercial buildings whose revenues will be used to run the medical city to ensure high performance, operation and maintenance.
Construction work is expected to commence by year end.
A high level delegation from the Municipality has visited Morocco recently to select the location for the project in the city of Anfa, a future centre for urban expansions.
In addition to the specialised wards, the city will house a nursing school, a central laboratory, a radiology centre and a VIPs ward.

© WAM

‘No death or rape cases documented’ in Sidi Ifni, FIDH chairman

Rabat, June 28 - “No death or rape cases were documented” in the southern city of Sidi Ifni, where recent clashes between police forces and demonstrators resulted in the injury of 20 demonstrators and 28 law enforcement officers, Chairman of the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), Souhayr Belhassen, affirmed on Friday.

 

    The statement was made at a press conference held in Rabat to present the results of FIDH head’s visit to Morocco and the 2007 FIDH report.

    Belhassen underlined, however, that investigations in Sidi Ifni revealed “torture cases”, a practice that, chairman of the Moroccan organization of Human Rights, Amina Bouayach said, “was not systematic.”

    “No cases of disappearance have been recorded during these events,” Bouayach noted.

    The Sidi Ifni incident took place when an unspecified number of youths had been, since May 30, besieging the port, preventing 89 trucks loaded with 800 tons of fish from leaving the facility, which prompted authorities to intervene.

    On the morrow of the June 7 clashes, the Moroccan House of Representatives (Lower House) announced the setting up of a parliamentary commission to probe the incident “following the contradictory information and rumors circulated about this incident.”

    The Qatari TV station, Al Jazeera, had reported that six to ten people died following the intervention of the police forces, whereas Brahim Sballil, a member of the Moroccan Human Rights Center (CMDH) reiterated “false accusations” concerning the Sidi Ifni events, citing cases of death, disappearance, and rape.

    Commenting on what happened before the Parliament, Interior Minister, Chakib Benmoussa made it clear that a total of 182 people were arrested, the majority of whom were released except for 10 people who were brought before justice.

Nine terrorists escape from Moroccan prison

Orla Ryan and agencies

guardian.co.uk,

Monday April 7 2008

Nine people convicted of offences linked to suicide terrorist attacks in Morocco in 2003 have escaped from prison.

The country’s ministry of justice said a search was under way for the prisoners, who were found to be missing from the Kenitra prison, north of Rabat, this morning.

The Islamist prisoner rights advocacy group Ennassir said the escape coincided with the beginning of a one-day hunger strike by about 1,000 Islamist prisoners at several prisons across Morocco.

The bombings in Casablanca five years ago killed 45 people, including the 12 perpetrators. The five simultaneous bombings - at a Spanish restaurant, the Belgian consulate, a Jewish community centre, a cemetery and a hotel - injured a further 100 people.

No one claimed responsibility for the May attacks, though Moroccan authorities believed they were the work of the banned Islamist group Salafia Jihadia, which security officials have accused of being linked to al-Qaida.

Thousands were arrested in the immediate aftermath of the attack as authorities cracked down on suspected militants. About 700 people were put on trial for offences linked to the bombings. Four men were sentenced to death for their involvement in the attacks.

The alleged mastermind, Abdelhaq Bentassir, died in custody, prompting an outraged response from civil rights groups.

Most of the suspected bombers came from a Casablanca shantytown, with the attacks highlighting the lack of opportunities for poor Casablanca residents.

The attacks were seen as a huge blow to the reputation of Morocco, one of the most liberal countries in the Arab world which relies heavily on revenues from western tourists.

Husa Gains a Foothold in Morocco

The hotel chain Husa has recently signed an agreement with H. Partners, an investment fund created by Attijariwafa Bank and Banque Centrale Populaire, two local banks, with the aim of opening a hotel in Marrakech in 2010.

Through the agreement, the Spanish-owned hotel chain will control 15% of the Palmeraie Hotel, with a total investment of two million euros. With an overall cost of 14 million euros, the hotel will have 200 rooms and will be marketed both as an event and holiday hotel. Husa Hotels will also be managing the new complex, located in one of Marrakech’s neighbourhoods with the greatest number of tourist attractions.

This project is part of the chain’s expansion plan in Africa, where it already runs a hotel in Marrakech, and owns two other in El Cairo and Giza, the latter scheduled to be opened later this year.

a present from a dear friend…enjoy

FOUAD MOURTADA FREE

Fouad Mourtada, the Moroccan facebooker who was setenced  to three years in prison for creating a fake profile of the king’s brother on Facebook, has been freed .King Mohammed VI pardonned him on the occasion of AID al mawlid….

Tourism projects propel Morocco’s success

As Morocco’s national tourism strategy, Vision 2010, begins to unfold and a whole new set of infrastructure improvements comes into play, the future is looking brighter than ever in Morocco. Investors choosing luxury property within any of the six King’s Resort developments, backed by HRH King Mohammed VI himself, are buying into a rock-solid and fast-growing tourist market.

Morocco, the exotic land made famous by Hollywood’s “Casablanca”, welcomes tourists who seek that unmistakable Arabic culture, along with outstanding natural beauty where they can enjoy a wide variety of attractions and activities. It is easy to see why the likes of American millionaire Malcolm Forbes, founder of ‘Fortune’ magazine, amongst others, began to invest in the area in the 1970s. Today the palace Forbes purchased stands as the ‘Forbes Museum’ and holds an impressive collection of 120,000 lead soldiers as well as many other curiosities, right in the heart of Tangier.

Today Morocco is seeing unprecedented growth, both in its infrastructure and visitor numbers, with tourism demand increasing by 6% in 2006, according to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO). The World Travel & Tourism Council predicts the country’s tourism will continue growing at a rate of 4% per annum, in real terms, between 2008 and 2017.

The World Travel and Tourism Council concurs that Morocco’s market share of worldwide travel and tourism is generally increasing, the main market participants being the French (figures exclude Moroccan national residents abroad), although there has also been a colossal increase of British visitors to the country. Tourists from the United Kingdom were up 29% in 2007 compared with 2006, totaling 418,606 visitors to the country.

Much of Morocco’s strong performance in recent times has been attributed to increased foreign investment. The country has been particularly successful at attracting FDI from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, such as the United Arab Emirates and Qatar. A number of mega projects, part of the Vision 2010, are due to come into fruition within the next 5 to10 years and now, according to the UNWTO, “Efforts are being made to ensure that airline capacity into the country, including low cost airline services, increases in line with the growth in accommodation.”

Sara Romera, product analyst at propertyshowrooms.com, explains why the country is becoming so tantalizing: “Morocco is still a unique location for property investors and offers the opportunity to purchase property early in an emerging market at very favorable prices. What is unique about the market for property in Morocco is the sense of security for investors: with tourism already improving at a fast rate and buy-to-let investors reporting 85% occupancy rates in prime locations during the high season, Morocco offers a strong arena in which to invest in property.”

Property development may be booming in this North African country, but location continues to be key, particularly when buying property as an investment. Resorts in the Mediterranean are expected to see high rental returns, particularly as they are easier to access than some more southerly locations, and offer better climate and sea conditions. Projects such as Mediterrania Saidia’s “The Greens” and “The Fairways” are situated in what is to become one of Morocco’s most prestigious and ground-breaking of Mediterranean tourist destinations, being the first of the King’s Resorts to be launched. The complex caters for those in search of relaxation, tranquillity and sophistication, all set within the convenience of a purpose-built resort. The fact that the entire complex is backed by the King adds a welcome element of investor confidence and expectation, making Mediterrania Saidia arguably one of the best investment opportunities available in Morocco today.

Protest against Judge’s decision to disallow Amazigh name for baby girl.

The refusal of a judge to allow the use of  Moroccan Berber name that parents wanted to give to their adopted daughter has aroused discontent among Moroccan organizations of human rights.
on January 28^th, The court in Larache, refused to allow a Moroccan girl to have the amazigh name “Illy”, a name chosen by her adoptive parents

“The judge’s decision of Larache recalls the times that we thought had left, when the government decided what names the citizens of this country could give to their own children.  In the 90’s, the government had drawn up a list of names that were allowed to be used and a list of names, mostly amazigh, that were forbidden.

Thus, the appellations of “Moulay” or “Lalla” that are traditionally given to the descendants of the Prophet Muhammad are now reserved for the royal family” Said Lawyer Aberrahim Jamai.
 

For the lawyer, the judge’s decision revived old demons and committed a miscarriage of justice by violating the fundamental right of parents to freely choose the name of their child.

“This sentence handed down by this court violates human rights and to the plural identity of Morocco , which has Amazigh roots” he said.

The parents have appealed this decision that they consider “discriminatory”. According to them, the judge justified his decision on the fact that “Illy” in amazigh means “my beloved daughter,” Whereas the girl is adopted.

Several organizations of human rights and child welfare, as well as Amazigh organizations expressed their support for the family.

Namibian coach hits at his players

Arie Schans, head coach of the Namibian National Team has hit hard at his players, describing them as a group of school boys playing with professional players, hence the humiliating defeat suffered at the hands of Morocco.

Namibia were beaten 5-1 by Morocco in the second game of Group A of the 26th Africa Cup of Nations at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra on Monday.

“I’m disappointed at the behaviour of my players and never expected them to play the way they did, especially in the first five minutes of the game”.

Speaking at a post match conference, coach Schans said his boys played contrary to his instructions and that is why they conceded two quick goals in the first five minutes of the game.

“I agree that my players do not have enough international exposure but that should not be used to justify their disappointing performance.

“Their performance is unacceptable especially at an international level like this”. The Dutchman stated.

The coach however said that the humiliating defeat would toughen his boys up for future assignments, since their mission in Ghana was to gain international exposure.

According to coach Schans, the primary motive behind their participation in the competition was to make an impact and to prepare the boys for the qualifying series of the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations and World Cup in Angola and South Africa respectively.

“I’m sure my team would be well prepared for these major tournaments after Ghana 2008”.

Coach Schans said they would visit the drawing board to re-strategise for the next game against Ghana on Thursday at the Ohene Djan Stadium in Accra.

Henri Michel of Morocco expressed satisfaction with the performance of his team, adding that they would approach all matches with similar attitude.

“We are not favourites in the competition and that is why we would take each match at a time to reach our goal in the competition”.

to watch Alloudi’s goals, click on the link

http://www.zshare.net/video/67383050d66416/

Heavy Metal to rock Morocco in February

If Metal Rock is your thing then head to Sidi Kacem on February 23.
January 22, 2008 - The Sidi Rock festival is follow up to a 2005 initiative by BERBER Badr - a collaboration between the bands: Anaconda, Black Wolves, Imperium, Metal Inc. and Mercy Killing. The event in 2005 was described as only being moderately successful, but this has not stopped Maison d’Art animé, Badr and CHBIHI Amine getting together a second edition of the festival to showcase young talent and feed an audience they describe as “a public thirsty for creativity and originality.”

 

The organisers say that “despite the many obstacles and drawbacks that represents such a consecration, organizers have taken action to advance the Moroccan Rock/Metal scene offering a chance for young people to develop this kind of music.” The event will take place in the province of Sidi Kacem on February 23, 2008 in Dar Echabab; Listed to perform are eight groups from different Moroccan regions: DESPOTISM (Casablanca), ATMOSPHEAR (Rabat), DAMNED CREATION (Sidi Kassem), KREMATORIUM (Kenitra), FLOOD OF HATE (Kenitra), EPHEMERAL PROMISE (Rabat), SAKADOYA (Settat) and HAMMER HEAD (Kenitra).

As their press release says: “All hope and expect a support, be it local authorities or organims and media, in order to devote them a humble place in the Moroccan music scene.We invite you to come and live for many memorable moments that will forever mark our history.”

(*) - ‘The View From Fez’: http://riadzany.blogspot.com/

Morocco building collapse kills 14

Fourteen people were killed when a two-storey residential building under construction collapsed in Morocco’s northwestern city of Khenitra, government officials said on Thursday.Twenty six people were injured in Wednesday’s collapse and it was not known how many people might still be trapped beneath the rubble.

The number of people on site at the time of the collapse was unclear.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the accident in Khenitra which lies 40 km (25 miles) north of Rabat.

Interior Minister Chakib Benmoussa, who visited the scene along with other senior officials, vowed to identify and punish officials who might be responsible for the collapse.

Road accident claims 9 in Morocco

Rabat, Morocco - Nine people were killed here Friday and 10 others wounde d, five of them seriously, in a road accident in the Khémisset region, some 70 k i lometres away, an official source told PANA Thursday.The accident took place when a lorry collided head-on with a public transport ve hicle while negotiating a corner, the source said.

Nine people were earlier killed on new year’s day in two separate road accidents while 13 died in an accident between the cities of Tétouan and Chefchaouen on 1 9 December.

According to the Ministry of Equipment and Transport, road accidents accounted f or the death of 3,622 Moroccans in 2006, and this is 4.17 per cent higher than t h e figure for 2005.

moroccan cut off penis in public

A young moroccan man cut off his penis with knife in public because his girl friend did not come to spend the night with him…The man was hurried to the nearest hospital but the doctors’  attempt to re-attach the organ failed….

Morocco set to create centers to cure women batterers, Minister.

Morocco is set to create special centers to cure women batterers and provide them with proper treatment, Moroccan Minister of Social Development, Family and Solidarity, Nouzha Skalli, said on Wednesday. Speaking at the House of Representatives’ question time on violence against women, Ms. Skalli noted that women batterers are people who need a psychological treatment to help correct their behavior.

Violence against women does not only have a heavy cost in terms of health and economy but a negative impact on children and on the family as well, she went on, recalling that since the launch of a free crisis hotline for women, some 17,511 acts of violence against women were documented by crisis centers as of January 2007. These acts were perpetrated by 10,053 women batterers, 78.8 of whom are husbands, the minister added, noting that some 10,053 violence-related complaints have also been made, with an average of 838 complaints a month.

Touching on the legal provisions in favor of women that are meant to uproot violence, Ms. Skalli said a bill is being prepared to toughen these provisions and curb violence against women. Over the past years, Morocco has adopted a set of measures to slash forms of violence against women, launched crisis centers for battered women and conducted awareness campaigns. The latest campaign was launched on November 30 to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Dubbed the fifth National Campaign to eliminate violence against women, it revolved around “Mobilizing Youths to fight Violence against Women”.

Morocco jails 50 Islamists for terror plots

           Hassan Khattab, the Emir of Ansar el Mehdi

by Zakia Abdennebi

SALE, Morocco (Reuters) - A Moroccan court convicted 50 radical Islamists on Friday of plotting bombings and robberies and jailed them for up to 25 years, court officials and lawyers said.

They were members of the Ansar el Mehdi “Mehdi Partisans” group, and shortly after they were rounded up in 2006 the authorities seized explosives and laboratory equipment.

The government said the group planned to declare ‘holy war’ in northeast Morocco, had recruited members of the police and the military and planned to rob banks and convoys and use the money to buy more explosives.

Their leader, Hassan Khattab, was jailed for 25 years and the 49 others were sentenced to between two and 20 years in prison, including four women who got five-year jail terms.

All the defendants pleaded not guilty. One man who stood trial with the others was acquitted.

Khattab smiled to display his indifference as the judge read out the sentences.

“We did nothing to get such sentences. We left our children alone and hungry,” said Abdesalam Debibeh, who was sentenced to eight years in prison.

The court found the defendants guilty of plotting to bomb government buildings and tourism landmarks in Casablanca and other cities and belonging to an illegal group, collecting money to fund terrorism and undermining state security and public order.

During the trial Khattab broke his silence only to deny the charges against him, attack the Moroccan government as an “apostate dictatorship” and assail its ally, the United States.

“I say to (U.S. President) Bush ‘we are coming to attack you,’” he said. “One day we will manage to wipe you out.”

Moroccan police have broken up more than 50 cells and arrested some 3,000 people since 2003, when suicide bombings killed 45 people in Casablanca.

ON ALERT

Morocco and the neighbouring Maghreb countries have been on alert for attacks since Al Qaeda’s North Africa wing stepped up suicide bombings and other attackss last year.

They fear a broad upsurge in violence in the region after Al Qaeda’s Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb said it wanted to link up radical groups in the region and use it as a base for bombings of European targets.

Algeria has suffered a series of deadly bombings since early last year, including a December 11 attack that killed 37 people.

In Morocco, six Islamists blew themselves up in Casablanca last year, killing one other person.

On Friday, the Dakar Rally that goes through Morocco and Mauritania was cancelled for the first time in its 30-year history after threats from what organisers called “terrorist organisations”.

In Mauritania, three attackers suspected of links to Al Qaeda gunned down four French tourists and wounded a fifth on Christmas Eve.

Gunmen killed three soldiers three days later in a remote area in northern Mauritania, near the border with Algeria and Morocco’s disputed Western Sahara territory.

Soldiers’ Stories: Spc. Lamia Lahlou, Remembering 911

On September 11th, 2002, a 15-year old Moroccan-American girl found herself inside the PATH train station — set beneath the World Trade Center — and just as United Airlines flight 175 crashed into the south tower and exploded. Now, 6 years later, Army Specialist Lamia Lahlou, shares her remarkable story about how she turned tragedy into a commitment to serve her county.

MOROCCAN BLOGS HACKED

  Some Moroccan blogs have recently been hacked by a group of Moroccan hackers Ur@niµm.

Almoudarisse.canalblog.com has been hacked because they published an article about the newly-appointed Minister of culture,Touria Jabrane. The blogger,who is a teacher, WAS WARNED TO LEAVE MOROCCAN MINISTERS ALONE …..

Message for you Admin:

                                                               C’est mon Canal, allez sortez-vous d’ici…et laisse les ministres a part

Gretz for all m0roCc@n HaCk3r
THE MESSAGE TRANSLATED READS:THIS IS MY CHANNEL…….SO GET OUT OF HERE AND LEAVE THE MINISTERS ALONE…………………………………..

King hopes that 2008 will be a year of peace, tolerance in the world

Rabat, Jan. 1 - King Mohammed VI of Morocco expressed hope that 2008 will be a year of peace, security, solidarity, and humanism in the world.

In congratulation messages addressed to world leaders on the occasion, the king said 2007 was quite an eventful year with major conflicts of all kinds, hoping that “our common human aspirations will materialize in the new year.”    “We look forward to embracing a world where values of love, concord, tolerance, harmonious co-existence, and fertile synergies among different cultures, religions, and civilizations prevail,” the monarch added.

    The sovereign also received congratulations messages from World leaders on the same occasion, in which they expressed best wishes of good health, progress, as well as prosperity of the people of Morocco.

Two boats with 68 migrants reach Spain’s Canary Islands

The wave of illegal African immigration to Spain’s Canary Islands continued into 2008 as two boats carrying 68 migrants arrived Tuesday on the archipelago off the coast of Morocco, officials said.

A cayuco, or wooden fishing boat, carrying 40 people, including two minors, arrived on Tenerife, the largest of the seven islands that make up the archipelago, at around 3:30 am (0230 GMT), a marime rescue official said.

It was towed by a maritime rescue services ship to the port of Los Cristianos after being spotted in the waters off the island, he said.

A second ship with 28 people on board arrived on the island of Lanzarote some five hours later, an official said. It was towed by a police patrol boat to Arrecife, the capital of the Canary Islands.

During the first 11 months of 2007, a total of 17,038 illegal immigrants arrived in Spain on 704 boats, the Europa Press news agency reported Tuesday citing official government figures. Most arrived on the Canary Islands.

By comparison during the same period of 2006 a total of 37,647 clandestine migrants arrived in Spain on 1,111 boats, the agency said.

The government credits the fall in the number of arrivals to stepped up patrols of the coast.

Authorities fear many of the thousands of Africans who make the perilous journey towards Spanish soil each year die of thirst or exposure on the risky voyages but there is no way of knowing exactly how many have died.

New report addresses causes of sex tourism in Morocco

The International Coalition for Responsible and Respectful Tourism published a report early this month on the resurgence of Morocco’s sex tourism industry, uncovering numerous causes of the phenomenon and proposing solutions.

The report, compiled by coalition goodwill ambassador Khalid Semmouni, indicates close links between sex tourism, globalisation and the opening of borders, adding that people are attracted by what they perceived as exotic.

Poverty and exclusion are also among the causes, and have contributed to the prevalence of prostitution in Morocco.

Other causes cited by the report include the violation of children’s socio-economic rights; a lack of public education on sex and human rights, especially for children; the disintegration of family structures; domestic abuse and a lack of responsibility on the part of schools.

The report also mentioned the lenience of Morocco’s legislation on child rape and the lack of a national action plan to protect children from violence.

It states that sex tourism is in violation of existing international agreements which Morocco has ratified, namely the 1949 Convention against the sexual exploitation of women, CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women) and the Convention on Child Rights.

The report also points to legal gaps and loopholes and proposes that the Penal Code be strengthened to more effectively counter the sexual abuse of women and children.

The solutions put forward include the adoption of adapted legislation to bolster children’s protections, the use of media to inform the public and alert families to the dangers of prostitution and the sex trade’s impact on society, and also the organisation of trainings for members of the judiciary to guarantee faster responses to young people’s needs.

Semmouni told Magharebia that “this problem also exists in other Arab countries, but it is much more severe in Morocco, since this country is open to the West and also due to its geographical position.” Semmouni proposed that all tourists found guilty of paedophilia in Morocco should be banned from returning. He also advocated the creation of a vice squad to monitor tourist activity from a distance and intervene where necessary.

Najat Anwar, president of the NGO “Don’t Touch My Child”, told Magharebia: “We need to establish a partnership with international NGOs and authorities such as ECPAT and INTERPOL to detect, condemn and prevent harm to Moroccan children by criminal tourists who travel to our country to satisfy their desires.” She added that “at the national level, our association has found that foreign paedophiles no longer enjoy the ‘tourist immunity’ they once had, and are just as liable to be punished as Moroccan paedophiles.”

Despite far-reaching government efforts, including the creation of tourism police in Marrakesh in 1994 and the conviction of over 40 tourists for paedophilia and prostitution offences since 2001, human rights activists in the country insist that Morocco still has a long way to go to eradicate the problem.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Mars starts using animal products

Some of the UK’s best-selling chocolate bars, such as Mars and Twix, will no longer be suitable for vegetarians. Also affecting brands such as Snickers and Maltesers, owner Masterfoods said it had started to use animal product rennet to make its chocolate products.

Masterfoods said the change was due to it switching the sourcing of its ingredients and the admission was a “principled decision” on its part.

The Vegetarian Society said the company’s move was “incomprehensible”.

‘Extremely disappointed’

Masterfoods said it had started using rennet from 1 May and non-affected products had a “best before date” up to 1 October.

Rennet, a chemical sourced from calves’ stomachs, is used in the production of whey.

It will now also be found in Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way products, and the ice cream versions of all Masterfoods’ bars.

“If the customer is an extremely strict vegetarian, then we are sorry the products are no longer suitable, but a less strict vegetarian should enjoy our chocolate,” said Paul Goalby, corporate affairs manager for Masterfoods.

The Vegetarian Society said it was “extremely disappointed”.

“At a time when more and more consumers are concerned about the provenance of their food, Masterfoods’ decision to use non-vegetarian whey is a backward step,” it said in a statement.

“Mars products are very popular with young people and many will be shocked to discover that their manufacture now relies on the extraction of rennet from the stomach lining of young calves,” it added.

Ex-French President Chirac, wife celebrate Christmas in Morocco

Former French President, Jacques Chirac, and his wife Bernadette, who arrived in Southern Morocco since Sunday, will be spending Christmas there, reliable sources told PANA here Monday.

Chirac and his wife are currently in Taroudant (700 km south of Rabat) where the French couple has a private residence.

Over the past few years, the couple had regularly spent their Christmas in Morocco.

As a regular visitor to Morocco, Mr Chirac has always had a penchant for the two-ochre cities of the Kingdom:Taroudant and Marrakech.

US may sell 24 Lockheed fighters to Morocco

WASHINGTON, Dec 19 (Reuters) - The Bush administration has told Congress of plans to sell Morocco 24 Lockheed Martin Corp F-16C/D fighter aircraft, advanced weapons and related gear valued at up to $2.4 billion.

The sale would boost Morocco’s ability to help in the U.S.-declared global war on terrorism and enhance Morocco’s ability to defend itself, the Pentagon’s Defense Security Cooperation Agency said in a notice to lawmakers dated Tuesday.

King Hamad visits Morocco

RABAT: His Majesty King Hamad arrived in Rabat yesterday on a private visit to Morocco, during which he will meet King Mohammed VI.

He was received at Rabat airport by Prince Mawlai Rasheed, Rabat Governor Hassan Al Omrani, Bahrain’s Ambassador to Morocco Shaikh Khalid bin Salman bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Moroccan officials and Bahrain embassy staff.

Senegal recalls ambassador from Morocco over W. Sahara spat: report

 jacques baudin

DAKAR (AFP) — Senegal recalled its ambassador from Morocco “for consultations” Saturday in a dispute over the disputed Western Sahara, media reports said.

Morocco pulled its ambassador out of Dakar this week in protest at comments about Western Sahara by a Senegalese opposition member.

“The recall of Morocco’s ambassador to Senegal was an unfriendly gesture to the Senegalese people,” said a statement by the Senegalese prime minister’s office, cited by local media.

“Senegal, while waiting for clarification, recalled its ambassador from Morocco for consultations,” the statement said.

Morocco on Wednesday recalled its ambassador for three days after a senior Senegalese opposition party member appeared to back separatists fighting Moroccan rule in Western Sahara.

Former Senegalese minister Jacques Baudin lauded Polisario Front rebels who are fighting Moroccan forces in the disputed northwest African region.

According to Rabat, the comments were “contrary to the secular bonds which exist between the two countries”.

Sources close to the government expressed surprised at Rabat’s actions since Baudin’s party is not part of the government.

Spain’s top court recognizes Saharawis as stateless people

Madrid - Spain’s Supreme Court has recognized a Western Saharawi woman as stateless because the Moroccan nationality cannot be “imposed” on her, court sources said Wednesday. The ruling opens the door for other Saharawis to seek a similar recognition in Spain. Some 200,000 Saharawis are living in camps in Algerian Tindouf, which received an influx of refugees after Morocco annexed the territory following the withdrawal of the colonial power Spain in 1975. Khadijatou Bourkari Dafa, 39, came to Spain seven years ago for medical treatment on a temporary Algerian passport. Algeria refused to renew the passport, because Dafa was not an Algerian citizen. She is also not a Spanish citizen, and the Moroccan nationality cannot be “imposed” on her, the Supreme Court said. Dafa is therefore stateless, and will be entitled to the right to live and work in Spain, the court concluded. The law will open the way for other Saharawis to seek the condition of stateless people, undoubtedly to the dislike of Morocco, which regards Western Sahara as its own, commentators said. After Morocco took over the territory, the independence movement Polisario Front waged a guerrilla war against the kingdom until the United Nations brokered a ceasefire in 1991. A referendum on independence foreseen for 1992 has still not taken place, and Polisario is threatening with a new war unless Morocco finally allows the vote.

Abdelaziz Ahnafouf criticcaly injures

Arminia Bielefeld striker Abdelaziz Ahanfouf, 29, was critically injured in a car crash on a motorway on Monday evening, the club said on its website. The club quoted a police report saying his car crashed into a truck from the Netherlands and that the fire brigade was needed to extract him from the car after it was wedged underneath the truck. The website of Kicker.de said Ahanfouf, who has six caps for Morocco, suffered severe head and face injuries in the crash. He has scored 12 Bundesliga goals in 60 matches. 

We wish speedy recovery for Abdelaziz.

quotation of the day

“The world is not dangerous because of those who do harm but because of those who look at it without doing anything.” 

–Albert Einstein

Parents Want Justice For Son After Arrest

By ELAINE SILVESTRINI, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 15, 2007

TAMPA - Hamou Moussaoui and Anissa Zekkari came to the United States from Morocco on Wednesday, proud parents, eagerly anticipating their son’s graduation from the University of South Florida with three degrees.

On Thursday morning, their world turned upside down. They were thrust, they said, into hell.

“Instead of having an engineer, we have a prisoner,” Hamou Moussaoui said Friday. He said he feels the $300,000 he spent on his son’s education slipping through his fingers.

His son, Karim, 28, was arrested, charged under what his attorney says is a little-used law that makes it a federal crime for someone in this country on a student visa to possess a firearm. The charge - punishable by up to 10 years in prison - arose from a visit to a Tampa firing range authorities say Karim Moussaoui made in July with friends who were later arrested.

The friends, Youssef Megahed and Ahmed Mohamed, both Egyptian nationals, were charged in August with transporting explosives after their car was pulled over in South Carolina. Mohamed also was accused of trying to help terrorists by posting a video on YouTube in which he demonstrated how to use a remote-controlled toy to detonate a bomb.

For the Moussaoui family, association with that case and media stories linking Karim to explosives are horrifying.

All he did was pose for a picture with an unloaded gun, they say. “A souvenir picture turned out to be a crime,” said Zekkari, speaking through an interpreter hired by The Tampa Tribune. She said she fainted when she heard of her son’s arrest, and has not slept since.

Karim Moussaoui, smiling confidently about 24 hours after his release from federal custody, said he’s not worried about what’s going to happen to him. “I’m definitely confident justice will take place,” he said, “since I only took a little souvenir, since we don’t have guns in our country, and I have the best lawyer in Tampa, Mr. Stephen Crawford.”

He said he was up late Wednesday night studying for his last exam. He finally crawled into bed at 4 a.m. to rest up before the test, scheduled for 1 p.m. Thursday.

At 6 a.m., he said, 10 FBI agents knocked on his door. They put guns to his roommates’ heads, but not to his.

“They got me some clothes, sneakers and a shirt,” he said. “It was a peaceful arrest. I had no clue what was going on … They just took me out.”

He said he was taken to the federal courthouse downtown, fingerprinted, photographed and otherwise processed. He was interviewed by a probation officer about his background. Then his attorney, Crawford, showed up.

“I feel I was being treated as subhuman, since they have animal rights,” Karim Moussaoui said. “I felt criminalized without being a criminal.”

Family Expects Justice To Be Served

The family was interviewed in Crawford’s office Friday afternoon. Under the attorney’s direction, they would not discuss the specifics of the charges.

Like their son, however, the parents said they trust the right thing will happen. “We’re always optimistic,” Zekkari said. “Our son didn’t do anything wrong.”

“There is justice,” Hamou Moussaoui said. “We’re in a country of justice and democracy.”

Karim Moussaoui had planned on returning to Morocco to take over his father’s business after his graduation today, but now he is being forced to remain in Florida until his legal case is decided.

About to lose the right to live in his dorm room, he must find an apartment with a telephone so federal probation officers can monitor his whereabouts and he can be fitted with an electronic ankle bracelet.

Two of his three degrees are in jeopardy, he said; he is negotiating with the university about making up the missed exam. “I missed a final in a class where I have all 100s,” he said.

Without the exam, he will get a D, which will keep him from getting two degrees, he said. It would be “the one D in my life.”

He said his degrees in computer science and computer information systems are in jeopardy, but he expects he will graduate with at least a degree in computer engineering.

His parents had planned to leave Sunday. Now they’re unsure what they will do. Probably, they said, one of them will remain behind while the other returns home.

The family business, Cabinet D’ Expertises Hamou Moussaoui, provides engineering expertise and consulting on construction and testifying in court. Hamou Moussaoui said he built the business from nothing more than 25 years and now has 12 experts who work in Casablanca, Marrakesh, England and Senegal.

They live comfortably in Casablanca with a villa and a 3 1/2 -acre farm, they said. Zekkari works as a schools inspector, stressing the importance of education to their children, who also include two daughters.

Zekkari said she’s involved with an organization called “Morocco Feminists International,” which defends women against violence.

‘He Has Nothing To Do With It’

In addition to education, the parents said, they stressed “good behavior” to their son. “General respect, politeness” were the values passed on.

They said Karim loves the United States and pushed to come here to study.

“He doesn’t like when other people say bad things about America,” Hamou Moussaoui said of his son.

He said Karim calls the U.S. Constitution an example to the world. In America, he said, “everything is spacious” and people have “a beautiful life.”

Hamou Moussaoui said his son never left his side growing up. “I wanted to teach him the right way.”

The parents said they learned of their son’s arrest when two FBI agents came to their hotel Wednesday morning.

“I felt paralyzed,” Hamou Moussaoui said. “I couldn’t move.”

The couple didn’t know where to go, what to do. They didn’t even have a rental car. They called Crawford, who they said calmed them down, assuring them he would do his best to have their son released that day.

None of this makes any sense, they said.

“My son doesn’t talk about politics,” Hamou Moussaoui said. “Politics doesn’t do anything for him. Terrorism - he has nothing to do with it. He has one goal - his education and being successful.”