Morocco's democratic experiment most far-reaching political undertaking in Africa, British official
Morocco-UK, Politics, 3/8/2000

British Foreign Office secretary of state for North Africa and the Middle East, Peter Hain, has hailed Morocco's democratic experiment as the most far-reaching political undertaking in Africa and the Arab-Islamic world.

The British official made the statement at a meeting in London Tuesday with the visiting Moroccan minister in charge of human rights, Mohammed Aujjar.

Hain voiced Britain's determination to back Morocco's democratic and economic efforts and readiness to extend to the kingdom assistance in matters of human rights training, mainly the training of the police and those in charge of enforcing the law.

Assistance can also cover prison management, the promotion of human rights culture through school syllabi, the amendment of texts and laws related to human rights, and the protection of women and children, he said.

The British official announced that experts will be dispatched to Morocco to materialize this assistance and accompany Morocco's efforts to modernize the legal frame related to human rights respect.

He further stressed the need to thoroughly prepare the visit the Moroccan premier, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, is projecting to pay to London shortly, so that the trip, he said, can be a turning point in the long-standing relations between the two kingdoms.

A memorandum of cooperation will be signed during Youssoufi's visit. It will set new bases of bilateral cooperation in a new frame concerning economic, political, educational, social and cultural cooperation.

Aujjar, who made on Monday a presentation on the human rights situation in Morocco before the British House of Commons, was guest to a luncheon Tuesday hosted in his honor by chairman of the Arab human rights organization, Houssein Shaaban. The luncheon was attended by several Arab intellectuals and editors in chief of London-based Arab newspapers and magazines.

Previous Stories:
  International center for human rights training to be set up in Morocco   (3/7/2000)
  Tony Blair emissary to King Mohammed expected Tuesday   (3/4/2000)
  Moroccan official to brief House of Commons on human rights experience   (3/3/2000)

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