Moroccan, Spanish FMs dedicate Spanish center, hospital maternity ward in Tetuan

Moroccan foreign minister, Mohammed Benaissa, and his Spanish peer, Ana Palacio, who started Friday a visit to Morocco at the head of an official delegation, dedicated in the northern city of Tetuan the maternity ward of the city's Spanish hospital and the newly refurbished Cervantes Spanish cultural center.

Director of the Cervantes centers network told reporters Spain is projecting to open more of these centers, particularly in southern Morocco, in order to foster intellectual exchanges between the two countries.

He added that his institution will also enhance its role as an intermediary between Moroccan writers and Spanish publishing companies.

He further noted that the center whose refurbishment cost 1.2 million Euro ? 1920, comprises eight classrooms, an exhibition and conference hall, a library containing 16,000 books.

In 2002-2003 school year, some 1,400 persons took Spanish classes in the center that also organizes other cultural activities.

During the dedication ceremony of the maternity ward of the Spanish hospital, Benaissa voiced the Moroccan government's gratitude to Spain for its support of social projects, saying that the project must lead the way to similar ones across Morocco.

Spain, he said, understands perfectly the situation in Morocco, which in turn is aware of Madrid's role within the European Union, especially within the Mediterranean part of it.

The Spanish foreign minister praised the creation of the maternity ward which, she said, is part of Morocco's program "safe motherhood," launched back in the 90s.

Ana Palacio announced that a cooperation program is being developed to provide medical equipment to hospitals in northern Morocco.

Following the dedication ceremony, the Spanish foreign minister extended Isabelle the Catholic distinction, post mortem, to Ignes Barbara who served as a doctor at the Tetouan Spanish hospital, before dying in a road accident.

The maternity ward, worth some 4.7 million Euro, has a 2,000 women annual capacity, with two delivery rooms and two surgery pavilions. It has 40 beds and is equipped with state of the art medical equipment for complicated births.