Speaking about the future of democracy in Morocco, Aziz Mekouar, the Moroccan ambassador to the United States, gave a speech to Dartmouth students and community members Monday at the Rockefeller Center. The ambassador's speech, titled "Democracy and Liberalization in Morocco and the Upcoming Moroccan Elections," focused on Morocco's advancements in human rights, as well as its foreign relations with other African countries. The lecture was co-sponsored by the Dickey Center.
In a discussion about Morocco's efforts in economic modernization, Mekouar, who has served as Morocco's ambassador to the United States since 2002, fielded questions regarding the state of the country's political and economic relations within the Maghreb, the region in North Africa that includes Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Western Sahara and Mauritania.
"Morocco thinks that the best thing would be regional integration. We are opening our borders and we are asking our neighbors to do the same," Mekouar said. "Unfortunately our neighbors do not see it that way -- I am talking about Algeria -- they do not think that it is time to open the borders."
Mekouar added that integration would not only boost the economy in the region, but would help to improve the economic situation in West Africa, one of the world's poorest areas.
The ambassador highlighted Morocco's commitment to free trade and its desire to attract foreign investment.
"The idea is to make the country as business-friendly as possible, to face the challenges we are facing, and to focus on making sure there are enough jobs for the population, which is a young population," Mekouar said. "Sixty percent of the country's population is under 25."
Discussing Morocco's modernization efforts, Mekouar underscored the constitutional and judicial reforms of the last 10 years. He specifically spoke about the establishment of the Justice and Reconciliation Commission, which provides non-judicial restitution to victims of alleged human rights abuses. He also addressed changes in the Code of Family Law, which have resulted in major advances in women's rights.
"The change in family law is important because it is about women's rights, which is very important because Morocco is a Muslim country. The situation was strange because you had female preachers, female civil servants, female teachers who at the same time at home were not equal with their husbands, were not treated as adults," Mekouar said. "Now men and women are completely equal according to family law and in front of each phrase is a verse from the Koran or a saying from Mohammad to show that there is absolutely no contradiction between religion and the equality of men and women."
Changes in the Code of Family Law include allowing women the right to divorce and maintain custody of their children.
Responding to several questions on the country's upcoming elections in September, Mekouar was noncommittal.
"We will see what happens and we will have a picture of the situation in Morocco," he said. "If you look at all of the countries in the region, I think Morocco has come the farthest in democratization, human rights, and the rights of women."
When asked about the predicted victory of the Justice and Development Party, an Islamist party known for its frequent criticism of the westernization of Moroccan society, Mekouar stated that he did not think that the party's likely victory would greatly alter the country's political environment.
"I do not think they will change a lot, they are not crazy," he said. "Morocco is a tourist country, our economy depends on tourism, so they would be crazy to make big changes."
