Moroccan media criticize French Le Monde daily
Morocco, Politics, 6/12/1999

Two Moroccan dailies criticized this Saturday the French Le Monde daily which published on Friday a "grim story of a so-called royal advisor named Hicham Mandari," MAP reported.

Liberation daily writes that Le Monde has invented an illustriously unknown person, a person we have never heard of in Morocco, neither has Mr. Tuquoi who perfectly knows the Moroccan political figures.

For Liberation, the French daily "rushed into an advertisement insert by a fellow, more than doubtful, to make news out of it."

"The journalist who retailed the ravings of a guy wanted by Interpol, did not even pose the basic question to know the reason why the Washington Post did not jump on the "scoop" and dealt with it appropriately, i.e. as a mere advertisement," the Moroccan daily writes, adding that some are trying to harm Morocco, targeting its very being and it is ongoing endeavors. For the daily, these repeated attacks are part of large-scale "counter-evolution" agitation.

The daily further wonders, "Now what shall we think of this Hicham and his blackmail? The same thing as the woman dancer who wanted to settle in the USA and applied straightforward for political asylum? The same thing as that wave of hysteria, (...) and psychopathological offensive triggered by the new era in Morocco? This individual can only be ranked according to a principle as old as meanness, that dictates to the minable to project their mediocrity on the great, hoping to reach thus their level."

"Attacking a great man is the very foundation of libel. It enables one to have momentary consolation to one's own nothingness," writes Liberation.

For its part, Le Matin du Sahara et du Maghreb says, "Once again, Le Monde has engaged in a discourteous manoeuver without any feeling of shame to pour on our country a torrent of libels and lies."

"To accomplish this vile act, the French daily wrapped itself behind the right to inform, publishing whatsoever coming from whomever," the daily writes.

"This exercise is as vain as useless, and its virtues have for a long time proved fallacious, dogmatic and in total breaking off with reality," the daily says, adding that credibility is shaky and ephemeral, when it is not cultivated where it can be rooted, ie. in an atmosphere of intellectual honesty and moral integrity, and within the respect of the basic rules of ethics that represent the foundation of our job.

The (French daily's) deal will prove to be a mere hoax, wherein it plunged out of its deep-rooted hostility to Morocco, a Mediterranean country with a legendary stability, Le Matin Du Sahara writes, MAP reported.

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