Moroccan FM pleads for comprehensive approach to security in Africa
Moroccan Minister of foreign affairs and cooperation, Abdellatif Filali, pleaded before the 20th France-Africa summit convened in Paris on Friday and Saturday, for a comprehensive approach to security related problems in the African continent.
Filali who renewed Morocco's deep attachment to its African identity said the security issue should not be handled from the military standpoint only. Security in Africa is equally posed in terms of food, health, economy and education security, he said.
He noted that African countries' development will remain fragile as long as the continent's contribution to international trade does not exceed 2 percent, as long as these countries' modest returns are swallowed in the management of the debt heavy burden and as long as Africa has no impact on the fluctuations of the price of African raw materials.
In view of the systematic globalization, the African continent is seriously threatened by marginalization, Filali said, urging the international community to grasp the worrying situation and exert efforts to avert the catastrophe and integrate the continent in a sustained development process.
Filali touched on the coming negotiations between Sub-Saharan countries and the European Union in the frame of the ACP (Africa, Caribbean, Pacific) negotiations saying this round might cancel arrangements taken only three years ago and that are favorable to these countries in matters of tariffs mainly.Morocco strongly backs the concerned African countries and calls for maintaining the preferential tariffs, filali said.
Filali expressed hope that French president Jacques Chirac would use his influence within the European Union to materialize by year 2000 the idea of a Europe-Africa summit similar to the summits held by europe with Asia and Latin America.
Morocco has regularly attended the summits of the heads of state of Africa and France that are held every two years alternately in France and in an African country. Morocco hosted the 15th summit in 1988.
This traditional rendez-vous to celebrate the privileged relations between Paris and the African continent that was first restricted to African French-speaking countries is now attended by some 50 African countries.
