Instability puts Africa's progress in jeopardy, King Mohammed says
Morocco-Regional, Politics, 6/16/2000

The progress scored by Africa in matters of democracy risks to remain volatile and shy in view of the difficulties facing the continent, King Mohammed VI said on Thursday.

The resurgence of political instability, the multiplication of tension spots and the escalation of violence (...) put at stake the economic, social and cultural development of Africa, the king said in speech he made during a dinner banquet he hosted Thursday in Rabat in honor of President Alpha Omar Konare of Mali.

King Mohammed, who voiced concern over this situation, underlined that peace and entente are the sole means to recover dignity and to embark on the path towards well-being and happiness.

The king, who deplored that the heavy debt burden continues to handicap all African efforts to ensure progress, recalled that the quest of an adequate solution to the economic and social crisis in Africa was on top of the concerns of the Late King Hassan II as it is now one his own priorities.

He recalled that the Late king proposed in 1994 the implementation of an ambitious development project for Africa, inspired from the Marshall Plan, that contributed to reconstructing Africa after the Second World War.

The king also recalled the announcement he made during the Africa-Europe summit, held last April in Cairo, to cancel the debt owed by the least developed African nations to Morocco and to lower customs barriers for these countries' exports to the Kingdom.

King Mohammed VI also underlined that south-south cooperation is the corner stone to ensure a better harmony in meeting peoples' basic needs and in the consolidation of the democratic process towards more stability and peace.

The king further lauded the centuries-old cooperation ties that have always existed between Morocco and Mali.

For his part, President Konare, hailed Morocco's constant concern for the development Africa and paid tribute to King Mohammed VI for the decision he announced during the Cairo Summit.

Your Majesty's decision confirms once again Morocco's keenness on consolidating solidarity and demonstrates the Kingdom's African convictions, he said.

The Malian President also voiced his people's gratitude to the solidarity that Morocco has shown over the centuries with Mali. "Since the independence of Mali, relations between our two peoples were intensified at all levels," he said, adding that cooperation ties between Rabat and Bamako show that the Malian people can always count on the backing of Morocco, which has always contributed to Mali's development.

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