King Mohammed calls for national rights, obligations charter

Morocco's King Mohammed VI on Wednesday called for the drafting of a National Charter of Citizens' Rights and Obligations.

"(...) I call on the Consultative Council for Human Rights, whose membership reflects a wide range of trends and leanings, to draft a project for the National Charter of Citizens' Rights and Obligations, and to make recommendations on how to deal with the legal loopholes concerning the fight against all forms of discrimination, hatred and violence," said King Mohammed VI in a speech on the occasion of the Throne Day.

"This is the way for us to achieve our objective, as we seek to reinforce citizen-based democracy which is true to our identity and open to the values of modern times," he said, adding "we want this to be endorsed by each family, where unity and harmony should prevail, and by the various media, which should display a sense of responsibility."

The king reaffirmed determination to ensure that the necessary adjustments are made, and that the efforts to upgrade the Family Law and the national media are pursued.

The king also announced the creation of a Royal Institute for Strategic Studies

"Our country is going through a comprehensive process of transition," he said, adding "we, therefore, need to enhance its capacity to make judgments and adjustments and to anticipate. Hence my decision to set up a Royal Institute for Strategic Studies."

The Institute which will be entrusted with this vital mission should interact constantly with ongoing changes and keep domestic and external transformations under control, he said.