TATWAN, Morocco, 24 July — King Muhammad VI of Morocco has said that there are no political prisoners in his country. “Now there is not a single political prisoner in Morocco,” he told Asharq Al-Awsat, a sister publication of Arab News.
In his first interview with a daily newspaper, King Muhammad said his country would soon hold general elections. “I hope they will be held at the earliest possible time,” the king told the editor in chief of the Arabic daily sitting in his car on his way from Tanja to Tatwan. He explained that the Moroccan Constitution favored a multiparty system. “There is no objection to forming parties in accordance with Moroccan law,” he said and emphasized that he would honor the constitution that allows multiparty system.
Asked when the elections would be held, the king replied that they would be held as scheduled. He added that it had never been his intention to delay elections.
Muhammad said his government considered the presence of legal opposition groups constructive. “We have parties on the right and the left which criticize the government’s policies. They have full freedom to do so. The legal opposition can accommodate people of all views and protect the country as well,” he explained.
Muhammad said the release of a large number of political prisoners after he ascended the throne two years ago had had positive results both internally and externally.
An advocate of press freedom, the king praised the efforts of Moroccan journalists in writing about government policies. “When the press talks about human rights, it should not forget to protect those rights,” he said, urging the press to follow the country’s rules and regulations.
He said Rabat could play a vital role in solving the Middle Eastern problem. “We welcomed the Mitchell plan and the Jordanian-Egyptian initiative and will support any solution leading to peace in the region.”
He affirmed that the occupied territories must be returned to the Palestinians and Jerusalem should become the capital of a Palestinian state. He said the difficult conditions laid down by Israeli Prime Minister Sharon for reviving peace talks were the main obstacles to achieving peace in the Middle East.
The Moroccan king underscored the strong relations between his country and Saudi Arabia. “When Morocco has gone through difficult times, Saudi Arabia has always stood beside us — even on the issue of Western Sahara which it tried to solve,” he added.
He welcomed the resumption of talks with the Europeans on fishing rights in joint sea waters. He reiterated, however, that Morocco did not want to renew the agreement signed by both sides in 1996. “We look forward to having more than a partnership relation with the European Union,” he said and urged Europe to fulfill the conditions of an agreement signed with Morocco in 1995 to combat smuggling and illegal immigration.
“We have done our part, but so far, they have not done theirs.”
Muhammad said the 25-year-old dispute between Morocco and Algeria on Western Sahara was souring relations. “Algeria has acknowledged its responsibility in prolonging the problem.” He said a settlement on the issue was essential to achieving stability in the Maghreb. The UN Security Council Resolution on the issue was a victory for the late king, he said, adding that Morocco was ready to settle the issue on the basis of that UN resolution.
He said his country would continue its privatization drive, adding that 40 percent of public institutions have already been privatized. “Morocco is a model for privatization,” he said, adding that it is an important indicator of the country’s stability and credibility.
The king said he had urged all government departments to remove whatever obstacles stand in the way of foreign investment. “We want to solve the problems and I will myself take the initiative in coordination with the related ministries,” he said, adding that a large number of hotels would be constructed in Agadir within two to three years.
The Moroccan leader said he would stick to the solid principles and objectives for which his father stood. “There will be no differences in our commitments and obligations.” He noted the important role played by his father, the late King Hassan, in reinforcing democracy and establishing democratic institutions in the country.
King Muhammad said that according to the constitution, foreign affairs, defense, interior, religious affairs and justice come under his jurisdiction. He said he would intervene to expedite implementation of public welfare projects. “I have the desire to contribute more to the welfare of the country and its people.” He said the country’s priorities would change naturally with the passage of time. “Today’s priorities are not those of 20 or 30 years ago. I believe priority should be given to both economic and social progress,” he explained.
Following are the excerpts:
Q. Your Majesty, you are about to complete your second year as king of Morocco, are you satisfied with what has been achieved so far?
A. No. One cannot be satisfied with what one has done for their country since this is a daily and continuous work. My aim is to be able to offer more and for this reason I am not content with what I have been able to do for Morocco and the Moroccan people. I am looking forward to doing more for them. As the king of the country I am the servant of the Moroccans. My late father, may Allah have mercy upon him, raised us with this vision. He instilled in us, since childhood, this understanding that we are the servants of this country and must be at the disposal of the people. I pray to Allah to help me fulfill this mission.
Q. As the head of the executive how do you view the composition of the government following the death of your father and the changes required in the political situation including, for example, the structure of political parties?
A. Morocco is not only closely associated with monarchy, but also with the personality of the king. The death of my father was a great shock to the Moroccans, whether politicians or non-politicians. It’s natural that change took place and many questions were raised. After the shock (over the death of the king) and the questions, we managed to overcome, there were those who spoke about new political parties. We regard Morocco as a multiparty entity. The constitution upholds and affirms the party system. If there is a party that holds fast to the principle of Morocco and its constitutional institutions and wants to function according to the Moroccan law, then there is no objection. As I said, I am the servant of the Moroccan people whether they belong to parties or are outside these parties. I am at the service of the people. In fact, the same issue came up after the death of my grandfather, may Allah’s mercy be upon him. It was he who liberated the country. My father established democracy and institutions. My role is to uphold and protect the trust left by my father, including of course respecting the constitution, which guarantees political pluralism.
Q. May we know when the elections are going to be held now that there has been a lot of talk about this issue?
A. Elections will be held on schedule.
Q. On schedule?
A. Yes, on schedule, God willing. I was to announce this in my annual speech but since you have asked, the elections will be held on schedule. I would like to see it held at the earliest possible date so that the politicians would be able to serve the country and not just their parties.
Q. How do you run the country? Do you interfere in the decisions and work of the ministries and in government activities, and do you have your own policy?
A. Everyone has an assigned role and they do their bit. The parties have their role, the government has its role, I have my role and the advisers have their role. We work as a team dealing with issues when they reach me. As for foreign affairs, defense, interior, religious affairs and justice these are constitutional matters that fall under my jurisdiction. But, of course, there is government cooperation as there cannot be one government inside the palace and another outside the palace. We are one and coherent government with Abdul Rahman Al-Yousuf (the prime minister) whom I love and respect very much. There is cohesion between me and the prime minister and also between all Cabinet members and me. Some people ask: What is the role of the king in Morocco? The role that the Moroccan people expect from me is to cater to their affairs and this was the role taken on by my late father. There are some projects which have to be accelerated and it is here that I intervene but again in coordination with the ministers and the relevant departments.
Q. Can you highlight the difference between you and your late father? You had earlier said it was your late grandfather who liberated the country and your father who established the constitution and the institutions. Can we know the differences and concerns in work, since your father had experienced and dealt with different issues when he lived during the Cold War era?
A. I always say that my grandfather and my father took care of everything (leaving us with nothing to worry about). One of them liberated Morocco and the other built the country’s institutions. But priorities change. Today’s priorities are not the same as those 20 or 40 years ago. Needs also change. For me the priorities of today are economic and social. In the second (social) area I consider matters for civil society; fighting poverty, education and water problems as priorities. Morocco is a country depending on tourism and agriculture and water is a major issue here. Water for irrigation, sewage and agriculture is of great importance. The society depends very much on agricultural products, following an agreement with Europe where quality of products is essential. As for tourism, it enjoys the same level of importance and expectations. Thanks God, the tourism results this year are very good. Also, we give priority to Moroccan expatriates returning (on vacation). This is their country and we strive to offer them the facilities that they are enjoying in the countries they are working or coming from or those through which they cross (on their way home) like Belgium, Holland, France, Germany, Spain and Italy. Then there is privatization and what is offered by the King Hassan II Fund for Development which is playing a premier role in solving the real estate problem. We have allocated some areas for tourism projects as well as industrial projects especially in northern Morocco and other parts of the country. Regarding employment as there is no infrastructure that allows the development of activities, there would not be enough jobs. Among the problems we face is that many of the job applicants want administrative jobs. This is similar to the problem experienced by Europe after World War II. Everyone wants an administrative job but this is impossible. This kind of thinking will not help solve the problem of unemployment.
Q. Allow me to ask you about your personality when compared to that of your late father, and how do you envisage a king should be?
A. Why do you assume there have to be differences?
Q. No, I mean everyone has their own style and personality. King Abdallah of Jordan has a different style to that of his late father King Hussein. It is a difference in shape and style.
A. I can say that it is a personality that is identical and yet different from my late father’s. Each has his personality, anyhow, but the principles and objectives are the same. There is no difference in commitments, duties and convictions. I am like my late father in that respect and he knew I had other points of view. But he taught us to respect the differences among generations; the new generation has to respect the older one. He also wanted the older generation to respect the new one and give them space to express themselves and their needs. I think this is also true of His Majesty King Abdallah, he is pursuing the policy of his late father. But King Abdallah has his own personality.
Q. In an earlier answer, you referred to your relations with Europe. We want to ask what happened to the talks with Europe on fishing rights?
A. It wasn’t us who closed the door on this issue, Europe did. Whenever Europe wants to return to negotiations, they are welcome. What happened was that the Europeans came to the negotiations convinced we did not want to renew the previous agreement signed in 1996. What surprised us was that they wanted to renew the agreement that was signed six years ago.
Q. What do you expect from the Europeans?
A. In our relations with Europe we expect something less than membership and more than partnership. My late father used to tell me that European officials must honor the promises made by them. For instance, in 1996 we signed with the Europeans an agreement on guarding the coasts, especially the northern coasts, to fight smuggling and illegal immigration. Until now we are waiting for the assistance promised by the Europeans in the agreement signed seven years ago. We did our part but we see nothing of the promises made to us by them.
Q. Did you talk to the Europeans on this issue?
A. Every time an European official comes to us we broach the subject. The desire is there within the bilateral and multilateral relations within the Barcelona Program. We want to come out with a larger partnership but what we have signed so far has not brought the anticipated results.
Q. Now you are talking about bilateral relations, what about the tense relations with Algeria, is it possible to handle these relations away from the Sahara issue?
A. No. You know the Algerian position regarding the international project, that was unanimously approved by the Security Council. We are satisfied that matters and responsibilities have become clearer for resolving this conflict. In fact, if it weren’t for the Sahara issue, there would have been no problem between Algeria and us. The issue has vitiated the atmosphere between the two countries for more than 25 years. Algeria has acknowledged its responsibilities in prolonging this problem. But for this there is no problem at the leadership level. Telephone contacts between President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and me, are continuing. Also, our foreign minister and the head of the royal court visited Algeria and met with President Bouteflika, and the minister of interior and with other Algerian officials for seven hours and discussed the Sahara problem. Relations with Algeria are not bad but could become better. God willing, relations would become better. For sure, the problem of the Sahara hampers relations between the two countries.
Q. For you this is an inherited problem?
A. I lived the Sahara problem and was lucky to see a new era in the history of Morocco being written when we regained the Sahara. I am from a generation who has lived with the Sahara problem and it was not possible for us to give up this issue which is very important for us. All the Moroccans, all the political parties whether in the government or in the opposition, are united on this issue. It is an question of destiny for Morocco and for the entire region. If there is no stability in the Sahara it would not be possible to have stability in the Arab Maghreb area. I consider the international resolution a victory for my late father, all Moroccans and for the generation who have lived with this issue.
Q. Aren’t there any new proposals for resolving this prolonged conflict?
A. We are committed to the international resolution and of course we want the territory under Moroccan sovereignty. This was put before the Security Council. We offered a lot from our side.
Q. You once talked with compassion and great interest about education, may we ask what is your vision on this vital sector?
A. Education for me is an important issue. Of course, there are programs of the Ministry of Education and also the adult education program. Morocco as you know has made great strides in this area. More than 50 percent of Moroccans live in the countryside and face problems like access to schools and other educational institutions. There are those who enroll at schools but are forced to cut short their education because the school is very far or they lack the necessary resources. In trying to overcome these problems many organizations and the ministry have worked hard over the past few months to mobilize all potentials to benefit Moroccans wherever they might be. Also, we created programs for the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments for the utilization of mosques in adult education and fighting illiteracy. The experiment was very positive and served all sectors of society. It was noticed that women formed the largest segment making up 60 percent of all those who registered in these programs. We look forward to have the number being doubled with the grace of Allah. The problem does not lie in education but in making available the requirements which facilitate the process of joining schools and pursuing education.
Q. There has been much talk in the past about privatization, what happened to that?
A. Privatization will continue. We started the process in the early eighties and 40 percent of government establishments are in different phases of the process of privatization. Morocco is a model in this respect because the level of privatization achieved so far has yielded very good results. It is an important indication regarding Morocco’s stability and credibility. These achievements have helped us a lot especially with regard to King Hassan II Fund for Development which I said is concerned with the development of infrastructure and is directly linked to Morocco’s development and also in finding solutions to obstacles.
Q. We all remember the privatization of the mobile phone sector in which Morocco has been a leader among the Arab countries and we noticed that your telephone companies are now serving as models for others in the region while also winning contracts as well?
A. That is true in the case of Tunisia and Mauritania and maybe Mali and Senegal.
Q. But contrary to that the cyberspace project has faltered. The Moroccan government was the first to float the idea and it did not implement it yet while we see the same idea being implemented in Algeria and Lebanon and other countries. Why has the project faltered while Morocco depends to great extent on tourism?
A. This is under study at present, and God willing, will see the light soon.
Q. You talk about great projects and ideas for your country and these require attracting foreign investments. How can you give trust and confidence to investors in your country?
A. There is difference between trust and facilities. Trust is available but facilities are not. I instructed the government and all bodies involved in this project to remove all obstacles. Yes, the administration in Morocco is trying to function with a modern mind but there are obstacles. We are trying to resolve this problem through coordination among relevant government departments. The ministries of economy and tourism have played an important role in a short time. I will give you an example: The city of Agadir will, over a period of two to three years, witness the construction of tens of new hotels. The King Hassan II Fund for Development is playing a very important role, and so are the government and relevant departments. I say that trust is there and what are needed is facilities. My role and that of the government and the administration is to provide facilities for the investors.
Q. You have taken an initiative that evoked a wide reaction and that was the release of political prisoners. Now after the passage of some considerable time to judge that move, have you felt that it has contributed positively or negatively?
A. For me, the release of prisoners was a humanitarian gesture in the first place. No doubt, it gave positive results at the local level and the foreign level as well. There is still the issue of compensations where more than 600 claims are under consideration. Thank God, today there is not a single political prisoner in Morocco.
Q. It has been noticed recently that this atmosphere of openness has reached the point of allowing into the country even the foreign media which criticizes you in person, is this a new policy?
A. I know that Moroccans are not happy with the media that attacks Morocco and myself. I also know that there are those who say or believe that allowing these critical newspapers implies a weakness on my side and that I should intervene. I say that on the contrary this shows courage. When someone attacks me or attacks the official institutions and we still allow these papers or magazines to enter the country and be sold here what does this mean? Is it courage or weakness on my side? Yes, I am for the freedom of the press but I hope the media would perform professionally and also disseminate accurate information so that this freedom becomes a responsible freedom that would help and not vilify these institutions. Soon the new press law will be issued and the Higher Council for Communication will regulate this relationship. Morocco enjoys democracy and political pluralism, it has a free press and at the same time there are laws that govern the press. There is no contradiction here. It is not in the interest of the press to lose its freedom or overstep the bounds, for in the end the losers would be the press and the journalists themselves.
Q. The journalists are our colleagues.
A. (Smiling), journalists, are not angels. I very much appreciate what the Moroccan press and journalists are doing to help effect change and help the government. But there are some who are influenced by the West and who want to copy the European media which are seeking to harm others.
Q. What in your view are the limits of the press?
A. Its limits are what the law says. The law should apply to all. When the press talks about human rights it forgets to work to protect these rights. As a human being I have the same rights. Do not I have the same rights that the law gives to all Moroccans? Do these also not protect me? I have the legal means which I could use and if need be I will be obliged to use them but within the law. This does not mean I am an opponent of the press. I consider myself its friend.
Q. Why has Morocco distanced itself from playing a role in reaching a solution to the Middle East crisis especially that your country was the place that witnessed historic decisions regarding the Palestinian cause?
A. First, it is important to say that Morocco does not suffer any inferiority complex. We used to have Jewish advisers, ministers and ambassadors and there was no difference between a Muslim Moroccan and Jewish Moroccan. We in Morocco believe that we are capable of contributing to the benefit of the region. I have noticed in recent weeks, and this is a personal impression, that Morocco is being marginalized. Despite this we are ready to contribute to the solution of this problem which we consider to be our cause, all of us. We adopted a position that welcomed the Mitchell Plan and we welcomed the Jordanian-Egyptian initiative and will support any solution leading to peace. You are aware that Morocco has an important history, it was on its soil the decision recognizing the Palestine Liberation Organization as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people was taken. Morocco’s position is for the return of the occupied lands and for Al-Quds (Jerusalem) to be the capital of the Palestinian state.
Q. Will you accept joining the quest for a solution?
A. I am at the disposal of all. You may remember there are 700,000 Moroccans in Israel who enjoy political and economic weight. Morocco also enjoys credibility with all. It is keen to see the Palestinian people being given their legitimate rights. What would contribute to our credibility and goodwill is that all parties know that Morocco does not suffer an inferiority complex over the Jewish issue and that it has a distinguished role in helping the Palestinians.
Q. Has Morocco any contact at present, now that Ariel Sharon is the prime minister of Israel and is not giving peace any chance?
A. There are others in the Israeli government and not only Sharon. Not only that, there are Israelis of Moroccan origin in the government and it is our right to contact them directly because they are Moroccans and, we have the right to be in touch with any Moroccan anywhere in the world. I do not know Sharon but based on what I have seen and heard of the conditions he has set for a return to the negotiation table, these are very difficult terms. We believe these conditions are impeding peace. The Israelis voted for Sharon seeking security but the result is the opposite of what they have sought. Now the region is more tense than ever before.
Q. We know there are distinct Moroccan-Gulf relations and that relations with Saudi Arabia are strategic. To what extent have these relations progressed during your reign?
A. The Saudi and Gulf relations are family relations before being political or diplomatic. They are solid family relations based on love and respect. When Morocco passed through difficult circumstances Saudi Arabia was always beside us even in the case of the Sahara issue which the Kingdom sought to help resolve. I would like here to thank the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahd, Crown Prince Abdullah and Prince Sultan for their support. They indeed have always taken noble stands and we are looking forward to better times. There are others whom I have not named and who I want to thank for their constant assistance. We have been honored with the visit of Crown Prince Abdullah, it was a historic visit and I have noticed that we were in conformity in the negotiations and held identical positions on many of the issues.
Q. What is your vision regarding the opposition outside the system, I mean the fundamentalists or extremist or even the tribals?
A. Why do you call it outside the system? It wants to express itself but may adopt a wrong approach. It was you who used the expression extremism, which is for me a negative expression. In Morocco there is the recognized opposition which I consider constructive opposition. In our country there is political pluralism from the left and right and they are able to criticize the government policies and enjoy full freedom to pursue their activities. This is legitimate opposition that can accommodate anyone who holds an opinion and at the same time protect the country.
