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Morocco
Area: Total: 446,550 sq km (Land: 446,300 sq km, Water: 250 sq km)
Population: 32.2 million (2004 est)
Capital City: Rabat
People: Arab-Berber (99.1%), other (0.7%), Jewish (0.2%)
Languages: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government and diplomacy
Religion(s): Muslim (98.7%), Christian (1.1%), Jewish (0.2%)
Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DM) = 100 centimes
Major political parties: Union Socialiste des Forces Populaires (USFP) (socialist), Istiqlal (nationalist), Rassemblement National des Independents (RNI) (business), Parti de la Justice et du developpement (PJD) (moderate Islamist), Mouvement Populaire (MP) (traditional/Berber)
Government: Constitutional monarchy
Head of State: King Mohammed VI
Prime Minister/Premier: Mr Driss Jettou
Foreign Minister: Mr Mohamed Benaissa
Membership of international groups/organisations:
Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (ABEDA), Agency for Cultural and Technical Cooperation (ACCT - associate), African Development Bank (AfDB), Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD), Arab League (AL), Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), Customs Cooperation Council (CCC), European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Group of 77 at the United Nations (G-77), International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), International Criminal Court (ICC), International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (ICRM), International Development Association (IDA), Islamic Development Bank (IDB), International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), International Finance Corporation (IFC), International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRCS), International Hydrographic Organisation (IHO - pending member), International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Maritime Organisation (IMO), International Telecommunications Satellite Organisation (Intelsat), International Criminal Police Organisation (Interpol), Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Non Aligned Movement (NAM), Organisation of American States and the Community of Andean Nations (OAS - observer), Universal Postal Union (UPU), World Health Organisation (WHO), World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), World Tourism Organisation (WtoO), World Trade Organisation (WTO).
GEOGRAPHY
(32 00 N, 5 00 W)
The Kingdom of Morocco is on the north-west corner of Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.
HISTORY
Morocco has a history as an independent nation state stretching back to the 9th century interrupted only by the brief interlude of the Protectorate (1912-1956) when the country was divided into French and Spanish zones. Morocco, unlike her North African neighbours, was never part of the Turkish Empire. To the south, Morocco claims and has occupied the territory of the Western (formally Spanish) Sahara. This claim forms a major rallying point in domestic politics.
POLITICS
Morocco's political system is evolving from a strongly centralised monarchy to a parliamentary system. The King retains much of the executive power, but the Parliament and most of the government (with the exception of the Prime Minister and certain other Ministers) are democratically elected.
Elections
Parliamentary elections for the lower house of Parliament (the House of Representatives) are scheduled for September 2007. The last elections for the lower House were held on 27 September 2002. These were the most open and transparent in Morocco’s history. Turn-out in the elections was around 50%. Established and moderate Islamic parties performed strongly. The Parliament’s lower House has 35 female MPs. Elections for the upper house of Parliament (the House of Advisers) were held on 8 September 2006. One third of the seats, 90 out of 272, were contested through an electoral college system. The successful candidates were elected for nine-year terms. The governing coalition of the four main parties lost five seats but have a majority of 169. Local elections were held on 12 September 2003. Turnout was 54%, and elections were generally considered to be free and fair. The Socialist and Nationalist parties, and the Berber/rural coalition, won the bulk of seats.
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
Morocco's economy is mixed. 50% of the population are employed in agricultural production, which represents 20% of GDP. Recent economic reforms have encouraged the growth of a small, modern manufacturing sector, strongly oriented to the EU market, and have helped the development of tourism. There is a large public sector – public sector wages account for 13% of GDP. Long-term challenges include preparing the economy for freer trade with the US and European Union and was improving education and job prospects for Morocco’s youth, and raising living standards.
GDP: US\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$50.1 billion (2004)
GDP per capita: \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$4,200 (2004)
GDP Growth: 3.5% (2004)
Inflation: 2.1% (2004)
Major Industries: Phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction and tourism.
Major trading partners: Spain, France, US and UK
Exchange rate: £1=16.87 dirham (December 2005), \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\$1=9.61 dirham (December 2005)
Source: World Development Indicators database, August 2005
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
The EU is Morocco's main Western partner. Morocco also has good relations with the US, which granted Morocco major non-Nato ally status in June 2004.
Moroccan and Algerian relations are strained over the question of Western Sahara (see below). The border between the two countries has been closed since 1994. Rivalry between Morocco and Algeria has hampered regional political and economic integration and the effectiveness of the Arab Maghreb Union, which was founded in 1989 and comprises Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania). Morocco is not a member of the African Union (AU) because the latter has given membership toWestern Sahara as an independent state.
The former Monarch, King Hassan II prided himself on having consistently used his influence in support of Arab moderates in the Arab/Israel dispute. King Mohammed VI chairs meetings of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Al Quds Committee. Morocco and Israel had liaison offices in each other's countries until October 2000 when they were closed after an increase in tension in the Middle East. Until the 1960s, as many as 60,000 Jews lived in Morocco, and Jews of Moroccan origin constitute a significant part of Israel's population: approximately 700,000 Israelis are of Moroccan origin. Morocco signed an Association Agreement with the EU in March 2000 and was one of the first wave of countries to agree a European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan with the EU in December 2004. Under the auspicies of these arrangements, Morocco and the EU participate in regular dialogue about a range of issues including economic reform, democracy and human rights. A new EU-Morocco Fisheries Partnership Agreement was approved by the EU’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council in May 2006. This is likely to come into force in late 2006. The previous fishing agreement expired in 1999.
Morocco is a leading player in the EuroMed (or Barcelona) process, whose long-term goal is a Free Trade Area by the year 2010. Britain and Morocco have co-sponsored the EuroMed Register of Agreements, and co-hosted a successful seminar on the social consequences of economic reform in Marrakech on 20-21 May 2004.
Morocco signed the Agadir Agreement with Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt on 25 February 2004. The Agreement will provide for free trade between the four countries by 2006. In June 2004, the US and Morocco signed a bilateral Free Trade Agreement.
WESTERN SAHARA
Morocco and Algeria disagree over sovereignty of Western Sahara. Algeria opposes Morocco's claim to the territory and supports the Frente Polisario (Polisario Front), which leads the independence movement for Western Sahara, and is based in Tindouf in southern Algeria.
Since Spain's withdrawal in 1976, Western Sahara has been a disputed territory. Initially Morocco and Mauritania moved in, and since 1979, when Mauritania renounced its territorial claims, Morocco has occupied the territory apart from an eastern strip controlled by the Polisario. The UK - in common with most other countries - regards the sovereignty of Western Sahara as undetermined pending United Nations (UN) efforts to find a solution.
On 26 July 2005 the UN Secretary-General appointed Peter van Walsum as his Personal Envoy to Western Sahara. His role is to assist the parties to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. His efforts are ongoing. Mr van Walsum has the UK's full support.
James Baker, the former US Secretary of State, was the UN Secretary-General's Personal Envoy until his resignation in June 2004. Mr Baker's final proposal, a ‘Peace Plan' that involved a period of autonomy followed by a referendum, was acceptable to the Polisario, but not so to Morocco.
King Mohammed has tasked the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS) to draw up proposals for an autonomous Western Sahara within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty. We expect this plan to be published in March 2007.
Both sides have imperfect records on human rights. May 2005 saw pro-independence demonstrations in Western Sahara suppressed by the authorities. Reports circulated that Saharawi detainees had been mistreated whilst in custody. A number were tried and convicted though many were later pardoned by King Mohammed VI.
On 17 August 2005 the Polisario released 404 Moroccan Prisoners of War, some of whom had been held for up twenty years.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights visited the region in June 2006.
HUMAN RIGHTS
HUMAN RIGHTS Morocco has improved its human rights record in recent years. In 1993, Morocco ratified UN Conventions on torture, on discrimination against women and on child rights. In November 1993, Morocco’s first ever Minister for Human Rights was appointed.
In 2004 the Moroccan Human Rights Advisory Council (CCDH), set up the “Instance Equity and Reconciliation” (IER) to examine human rights violations in Morocco between 1956-1999. It reported to the King in December 2005. The IER report catalogued a number of human rights abuses, and identified over 9,000 people as eligible for compensation. It also made a number of recommendations to ensure that past abuses do not recur, including constitutional reforms and steps to end a culture of impunity in the Security Forces. The CCDH has been tasked to oversee the implementation of these recommendations. In November 2005, the Parliament passed a law incriminating torture.
On 25 January 2004, the government adopted a new Family Law which supports women's equality and grants them new rights eg equal divorce rights; right to be joint head of household etc.
There is a relatively free press. However, criticism of Islam, the monarchy or Morocco's presence in the Western Sahara is not tolerated.
Morocco's record in Western Sahara has improved in recent years, but more needs to be done to provide equality of opportunity for the people of the territory. Within Morocco itself as well as in Western Sahara in recent years marches and sit-ins have been broken up by police, and pro-independence demonstrations are a flash point for potentially violent confrontation.
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