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Ten years into reign, Moroccan leader continues to turn reform-minded visions into realities of social, economic, and political progress

WASHINGTON, July 28 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- This week Morocco marks a decade of leadership and reforms under King Mohammed VI, as U.S. President Barack Obama saluted the King's commitment to shared "principles of justice and progress, tolerance and dignity," and his efforts to promote "dialogue between religions and cultures" in a letter released earlier this month. Responding to King Mohammed VI's offer in an earlier letter to the U.S. President to help improve relations between the U.S. and Muslim world, President Obama replied: "I am confident that we can work together to put in place the basis for fruitful negotiations favoring peace" in the Middle East and elsewhere in the region. The exchange between leaders comes as Morocco commemorates the 10th anniversary of King Mohammed VI's accession to the throne in July 1999 following the death of his father, King Hassan II.

In his letter, Pres. Obama emphasized the King's "commitment to strengthening the foundations for dialogue and mutual respect between nations," a key principle the U.S. president expressed in his recent speech to the Muslim world in Cairo, where he noted Morocco was the first nation to recognize U.S. independence in 1777. Obama highlighted Morocco's historic role in the Middle East peace process and the need to resolve regional disputes such as the Western Sahara conflict. Obama reiterated his shared commitment to "achieving a mutually acceptable solution" in W. Sahara, following Morocco's 2007 compromise proposal providing self-determination through autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty. Resolution to that 34-year-old dispute would end suffering for thousands of refugees in Tindouf, Algeria and pave the way for greater economic integration and political cooperation among Maghreb countries.

"President Obama and King Mohammed VI share principles on international peace, progress, and prosperity that are rooted in the extraordinary, longtime partnership between the U.S. and Morocco," said Edward M. Gabriel, former U.S. ambassador to Morocco, during a recent interview on Viewpoints, a live televised interview program on Middle East and world issues hosted by Dr. James Zogby. As Ambassador to Morocco when King Mohammed VI came to power, Gabriel had a unique perspective on the then-largely unknown 35-year-old leader -- which he shared early in the new king's tenure in a 1999 speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, DC.

"The newly enthroned King Mohammed VI is determined to implement the wide-ranging economic and political reforms initiated by his late father King Hassan II. I know King Mohamed VI to be a man of tremendous intellect and seriousness. He possesses a great understanding of the needs of his people."

Ten years later, King Mohammed VI is widely acknowledged to have established Morocco a positive model for the region. He has initiated a wide range of social, political, and economic reforms, embracing a consensus-building approach to move his nation forward on the most daunting issues, including:

• Establishing a truth and reconciliation commission which investigated alleged past human rights abuses and provided compensation to victims;
• Elevating women's role in society and guaranteeing women's equality of rights through reform of the Family Law, or moudawana;
• Promoting democracy, decentralization, and making the electoral system more transparent, all of which were evident in the successful June local elections that brought more than 7 million Moroccans to the polls; and,
• Strengthening and modernizing Morocco's economy, and becoming one of the few countries to have a free trade agreement with the United States.
  

"Under King Mohammed VI's enlightened leadership, the two centuries-old relationship between the U.S. and Morocco is at an unprecedented level," said Gabriel. "U.S. support for Morocco's model of reforms and its efforts to reach a peaceful compromise in the W. Sahara are long-standing and unchanged. I'm confident the successes of the last decade are an indicator of tremendous progress we'll see for Morocco and the region in years to come."

The Moroccan American Center for Policy (MACP) is a non-profit organization whose principal mission is to inform opinion makers, government officials and interested publics in the United States about political and social developments in Morocco and the role being played by the Kingdom of Morocco in broader strategic developments in North Africa, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. For more, please visit www.moroccanamericanpolicy.org

This material is distributed by the Moroccan American Center for Policy on behalf of the Government of Morocco. Additional information is available at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC.