Foreign department made efforts for women wearing headscarves to obtain visas in French Consulates

Moroccan minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa, said his department has made "important efforts" for visas to be delivered to women wearing headscarves by French consulates.

Speaking at the House of Representatives' question time Wednesday, Benaissa said he has personally raised the question with French ambassador in Morocco and at every occasion, especially during the high joint commission's meeting on consular affairs.

The foreign minister noted that following 9-11, several countries decided to impose photographs where the ears and forehead are clearly visible, in order to be recognized by the scanner.

Such questions remain difficult to resolve for, he said, under the Vienna convention, signed by Morocco in 1963, States that deliver consular documents set conditions that fit their legislation and specificities.

The foreign department will continue working with the EU to find a way that "respects Morocco's moral and religious specificity," Benaissa said.