Royal advisor: It's time to reconstruct peace dynamic
Morocco-Regional, Politics, 6/8/2004

In an international juncture marked by "crises and tensions management, it is time to start thinking about the objective reasons of crises and tensions in order to favor the reconstruction of a peace dynamic that would banish isolating or demonizing, said Advisor to King Mohammed VI, Andre Azoulay.

The royal advisor made the remark at a panel on the historical, cultural and social context of relations between the Arab-Islamic world and Europe, held part of the 35th congress of the international chamber of commerce held in Marrakech.

He warned against "shortcuts and hazards of amalgam that ruin the debate," calling on all "(our) partners to accept that we share the same values and the same ambitions, without necessarily having to resemble each other to the extent of an often unrealistic and dangerous ideological, cultural or spiritual homogenization."

"There is a need to review the reciprocal and mutual knowledge, said Azoulay, who was reacting to a widely developed opinion among the panelists who tended to encompass in the same assessment and with the same criteria of reference, a regional space extending from Mauritania to Pakistan.

He also highlighted the importance of historical, social and political specificities of countries that are blending, each one in its manner, diversity and solidarity.

He cited as an illustration the coherence and permanence of choices made by Morocco to build "a society project that deepens and consolidates, day after day, the practice of its democracy and strives, despite modest resources, to create growth and wealth."

The advisor also called states and business decision-makers to reconsider their political risk-analysis methods, arguing that an investment conducted in the suburbs of Casablanca or Tangier, for example, is not necessarily more hazardous than in a western metropolis. He also told the business leaders attending the conference how for the Morocco case, there is a need for boldness, voluntarism and trust to initiate projects. "You will find in Morocco stability, security and profitability," he insisted.

In addition to the royal advisors, other participants included Gilles Keppel, a famed professor at the Paris institute of political studies, Gen. Wesley Clark, former supreme commander of the NATO forces in Europe and former commander in chief of the American forces in Europe (1997-2000), Hans Joachim Korber, CEO of German group Metro, Yong Sung Park, vice president of the international chamber of commerce and vice-president of the South Korean "Doosan" group and Maria Gattaui Livanos, secretary general of the ICC.

Previous Stories:
  King Mohammed VI: Shared prosperity, globalization with a human face tributary of skilled labor training in countries of the South   (6/7/2004)
  Morocco aspires to become export platform toward Europe, Arab states and Africa, official   (6/2/2004)
  Minister highlights obstacles to Arab human rights charter   (5/20/2004)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search