King Hassan appoints new secretary general of foreign affairs ministry

King Hassan II appointed Mohamed Rachad Bouhlal, former Moroccan Ambassador in Brussels, as secretary general of the foreign affairs and cooperation ministry.

King Hassan II, who received the official on Thursday, said Bouhlal is a "competent man who will appropriately fulfill his mission," adding, "We have to create a new spirit and new working methods."

King Hassan II also mentioned the visit Bouhlal will pay to Algeria next Sunday at the head of a Moroccan delegation.

Algeria hosts on May 17-18 the 35th session of the follow-up committee of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) that musters besides Algeria and Morocco, Libya, Mauritania and Tunisia. The committee will prepare the coming session of the UMA foreign affairs ministers' council.

The audience was attended by foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Mohamed Benaissa, and Taib Fassi Fihri, charge de mission at the Royal office.

King Hassan II, supreme chief of staff of the Royal Armed Forces (FAR), also received Col.-Maj. Mohamed Boutaleb, whom he appointed

assistant general inspector of the Royal Air Force in replacement of

Gen. Abdelaziz Lamrani Alaoui.

The king, who was flanked by Crown Prince Sidi Mohammed, Coordinator of the Bureaus and Services of the General staff of the FAR, decorated Gen. Abdelaziz Lamrani Alaoui, with the Throne Wissam of the Grand Officer Order.