King calls for more equitable, humane world order
Regional-Morocco, Politics, 12/17/2003

Morocco's King Mohammed VI of Morocco has called for a more equitable and humane World order, at the official opening, in Marrakech Tuesday, of the high-level conference (December 15 -19) on South-South Cooperation, organized by the Group of 77 plus China, known as G-77.

"We look forward to the emergence of a more equitable, more balanced and more humane world order, in which our distinct group is to be reckoned with, on account of its size as well as the quality of its contribution which reflects its complementary and solidarity," said the Moroccan monarch in his message read out by foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Mohamed Benaissa.

King Mohammed VI, whose country is current chairman of the G-77, warned that "the world is currently devoting its attention to peace and security matters and to the surge in international terrorism." Therefore, he underlined, "the question is how to ensure that, through a comprehensive approach, it focuses on issues of democracy and social and economic development as well."

"Consequently, we must make every effort to ensure that development issues are brought back into the international limelight," said the king who proposed a summit meeting in 2005 of the G-77 concurrently with the 60th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

The proposed summit, he explained, will provide an opportunity to assess the implementation of the commitments made since the Millennium declaration and at major UN conferences on economic and social issues.

The G-77 made up of developing countries will discuss during the Marrakech conference several issues related to technical and economic cooperation among member countries. In this regard, King Mohammed VI insisted that many countries of the South are in a position to enable other developing nations to benefit from their know-how and expertise. He cited the example of Morocco which, he said, "has been doing successfully, especially in the fields of agriculture, rural development, education, hydraulics and tourism."

The Moroccan monarch said that the Marrakech conference "is an opportunity to pursue the debate on international trade, in an effort to secure the opening of markets in the countries of the North to exports of the countries of the South."

King Mohammed VI also called for a "new strategy for cooperation among the countries of the South in order to ensure optimal implementation of the plans and programs adopted since the 1978 Buenos Aires Conference" of the G-77.

To this, end, he went on, "we need to stimulate trade between our countries, by dismantling the barriers isolating them from one another, by providing a sound basis for their integration and by avoiding the conflicts of bygone ages." (MAP)MK

Previous Stories:
  Marrakech G-77 conference to focus on peoples needs and development   (12/16/2003)
  Full text of the message sent to the conference on inter-civilization dialogue   (12/12/2003)
  Cultural dimension, fundamental aspect in economic development, social progress, King Mohammed   (12/12/2003)

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