Magistrate at ICJ becomes Morocco's delegate to UNO

Former magistrate at the International Criminal Court for former Yugoslavia, Mohamed Bennouna, was appointed on Friday by King Mohammed VI as Morocco's permanent delegate to the United Nations Organization.

Bennouna, who holds a Phd in international law from the university of Nancy, France and a diploma in international law from the Hague, has been serving since 1998 as magistrate in the International Criminal Court judging war criminals in former Yugoslavia.

The 57-year old law expert also served as dean of the law college of Rabat. In 1974, he was part of the Moroccan delegation to the UN conference on sea law, and in 1975, he represented Morocco in the International Court of Justice and in several sessions of the UN general assembly.

He is also the author of more than 30 books on international law and received several national and international distinctions, including the Moroccan culture prize and Yemen's culture medal.

He replaces Ahmed Snoussi, who was appointed to the post in 1990.