Morocco renews to Germany adherence to human rights principles

Moroccan human rights minister, Ahmed Aujjar, renewed in a meeting Thursday here with visiting speaker of the German Bundestag, Thierse Woldfgang, Morocco's adherence to human rights principles and the priority granted by the Moroccan government to the defense and promotion of human rights culture.

Aujjar told the German official that 1999 will be in Morocco the year of civil liberties, as several amendments will be made to the law regulating the press, the creation of associations and the holding of rallies in addition to endeavors to harmonize Moroccan law with international standards.

He told the German official, who started Wednesday a visit to Morocco, important accomplishments were made in human rights issues in the 90s, including the creation of the Human Rights Consultative Council, a ministry of human rights, the royal pardon to all political prisoners in 1994 and 1998 and the settlement of the cases of missing persons.

Regarding the department's strategy, he said the ministry is endeavoring to promote a culture of human rights in Morocco, citing in this regard the creation of a training and documentation center of human rights, in partnership with the United Nations, that will be an efficient tool for the training of executives in charge of running public affairs.

He also cited the holding of several events in Morocco, including a regional conference on human rights education in Arab countries, this February 17-20, with the collaboration of the UNDP and the UNESCO.