NAM Should Grant More Interest to Economic, Social Issues, Minister
Regional, Politics, 4/10/2000

The Non-Aligned Movement should enlarge the scope of its action and grant more interest to economic and social issues, said Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa.

Benaissa made the statement before the opening session of the 13th ministerial conference of the Non-Aligned Movement that observed a minute of silence in the memory of the late King Hassan II.

In his address before the meeting convened in the northwestern Columbian city of Cartagena over the weekend, Benaissa deplored the widening gaps between the north and the south and called NAM to promote a constructive dialogue with the countries of the north.

Benaissa who laid a special emphasis on the precarious situation prevailing in Africa, called for further efforts to avert armed conflicts and to work out programs to cater for the needs of the populations affected by such conflicts. He said Morocco is ready to participate in working out and implementing such programs through new mechanisms.

Touching on global nuclear disarmament, one of the major topics on the meeting's agenda, Benaissa called on the international community to take all necessary measures to pressure world countries adhere to the nuclear nonproliferation treaty and to shield humankind from the nuclear threat. Morocco backs without any reservation the creation of mass-destruction weapons free areas, including in the Middle East, he said, adding that Israel should open its nuclear facilities to the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

NAM ministerial meeting agenda was topped by cross-border terrorism, global nuclear disarmament, Afghanistan and United Nations reforms, including expansion of the Security Council.

At the economic level, debates focused on the negative social and economic impact of globalization and participants from 93 countries --NAM mustering 115-member nations-- called Sunday at the close of the meeting for a "fairer world order based on non-discriminating economic relations.

They equally called for urgent measures so that developing countries be not totally edged out.

Participants agreed to grant full backing to the millennium summit of the U.N in September, during which NAM nations will raise the issues of development, struggle against poverty,, peace, security and disarmament.

They pledged to fight light weapons trafficking and drugs trafficking.

The NAM meeting was of a special significance as it took place on the eve of the first-ever South Summit to be held in Cuba this week.

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