Swedish Minister of Democracy Confers with Moroccan Human Rights Minister
Morocco-Sweden, Culture, 2/6/2002

Swedish minister of democracy and civil service, Britta Lejon, who started Tuesday an official visit to Morocco, held talks in the afternoon with minister of human rights, Mohamed Aujjar, on the Moroccan democratic experience and progress made in the field.

Aujjar informed his interlocutor on the democratic process under way in Morocco and on efforts being made to consolidate the rule of the law, and recalled that as early as 1956, on the wake of its independence, Morocco opted for the democratic system, liberal economy and public freedoms, at a time most developing countries were part of the former Soviet block.

Talks also covered Morocco's relations with the European Union and Aujjar insisted on Morocco's will to establish a firm partnership with the Union that goes beyond a mere association and called on the Union to conduct a more "humanistic" action in the North-African region.

The Swedish official who voiced admiration for Morocco's democratic experience and the big strides covered in matters of democracy and human rights, recalled the long and arduous struggles waged by women's rights activists in Sweden and insisted on the paramount importance of the schooling of young girls in Morocco. She also lauded the projects initiated by the Moroccan Human Rights Ministry to introduce human rights in schools syllabi.

The Swedish official will confer with several other members of the Moroccan cabinet, including the Prime Minister, the minister of justice, the minister of public service and administrative reform and the minister in charge of women condition, family and childhood protection and disabled persons' integration.

She will also meet the chairman of the supreme court and the chairman of the Human Rights Advisory Council, as well as civil society and human rights activists, ngos dealing with women and children's issues and executives from the Moroccan press trade union, and from the Moroccan section of Amnesty international. She will also visit the Observatory of children's rights.

The visit winds up on February 9.

Previous Stories:
  Swedish Minister of Democracy in Morocco   (2/5/2002)
  Swedish minister of democracy in Morocco next week   (2/1/2002)
  Moroccan human rights department, Swedish institute study cooperation   (6/15/2000)

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