Terrorists must not stop Morocco's democratization process, Danish fm says

Terrorists must not be given the opportunity to stop Morocco's democratization process or affect the progress achieved in human rights, civil liberties, reforms of society and gender equality, said here on Thursday Denmark's Foreign Affairs minister, Per Stig Moeller.

"We were shocked by the Casablanca terrorist attacks," said Stig Moeller, who kicked off a two-day official visit to Morocco earlier in the day.

The chief of Denmark's diplomacy told MAP following a meeting with Morocco's human rights minister, Mohamed Aujjar, "the terrorists' attacks were indeed an attempt to stop Morocco's democratization process and progress in human rights realms."

"These terrorists want to drive the Moroccan society backward," he went on, stressing that "this fight must be taken up and won by the powers of progress."

Touching on the talks he had with Aujjar, Stig Moeller said that both sides screened ways to enhance cooperation in human rights realms and democracy.

"We have been talking about how we can cooperate in fighting terrorism and how we can support each other in the development of human rights and democracy," he added.

Morocco is the last leg of a tour that led Per Stig Moeller to Saudi Arabia, Syria and Algeria.