King Mohammed speaks about vision for Morocco's economic-social development
Morocco, Politics, 11/1/2001

Morocco's King Mohammed VI has renewed resolve-- in the interview he granted to French weekly magazine Paris match-- to multiply economic poles throughout Morocco, in a balanced, coherent and complementary manner, saying he is trying to do the best possible for the country.

The sovereign, who was interviewed by French renowned reporter Anne Sinclair in Ouarzazate, where the sovereign was staying, part of a trip in central and southern Moroccan provinces, said he likes to see by himself, on the spot, the realities of the country.

"It is true that shaking hands is very moving, but this is not the way to know the genuine problems and to settle them," the sovereign said adding he tries to practice this proximity, in everyday life.

He recalled, in the Paris-Match interview, that during the first months of his reign, he toured the northern areas of the Kingdom and now, it is the turn of central and southern areas. "A long drought cycle, a negative weather and an adverse economic juncture cause rural exodus: Moroccans leave these areas and go to cities. It is with a view to meeting their needs, and to stabilizing them in their region that I wanted to visit this area," the sovereign said.

He mentioned a number of projects that are of great interest to him, such as in the city of Agadir, that must be promoted as a tourism pole, to avoid that tourism be concentrated in Marrakesh, "because we risk to kill Marrakesh and tourism in Morocco as a whole," Ouarzazate, which has become another important flourishing pole, thanks to tourism and to the movie-making industry, Tangier, where he is working on the creation of a new port, that will relieve congestion at the present port area of Tangier and make of it the largest sea resort in all the Mediterranean.

King Mohammed VI also underlined the keen interest he grants to social issues and surveyed the "excellent work" conducted by the Mohammed V solidarity foundation, that he has been chairing for five years. He recalled that the foundation is at the service of NGOs, "to whom we give the means to materialize their programs. We have built 270 centers for disabled persons, for young girls in the countryside, etc."

However, the foundation alone cannot fight poverty, edging out, etc. Of course, It is mostly up to the State to take action, he told Anne Sinclair, who described him as "nice," someone who "knows his dossiers," who is "outspoken, often courageously, who "seems humble," and foremost, "thoughtful."

"What points from this interview, is his warmth and modesty. The king does not have the assurance of those who think they know, but the serenity of someone who is fulfilling his duty and the enthusiasm of someone who wants to achieve what nobody else ever tried. Making Morocco enter definitively in modernity.

King Mohammed also spoke of the plural identity of Morocco saying that he was himself half-Berber, and that he would like to take the time to learn Amazigh.

"Morocco is a genuine melting pot. It is the most blended North African country. You find there Andalusian culture, African culture, Jewish culture, and the inevitable Arab culture. I shall not put forward Morocco's berberity and renounce its Arab side, but the other cultures I have just mentioned are part and parcel of Moroccan culture," he said.

As to the recent announcement of his engagement to Salma Bennani, the sovereign said "the wedding is set for the first quarter of next year, the time necessary for the ongoing fitting-out of our future residence."

He said that he met his fianc?e, a computer engineer, more than two years ago, and they have jointly chosen to celebrate their wedding. "This is the formula we have jointly chosen. We will thus celebrate our wedding like all other couples, in joy and celebration," he said. (MAP)SH/AO/SL/

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