Rabat - Members of the US congress lauded, Tuesday in Rabat, reforms carried out by Morocco while underlining steps taken by the Kingdom to uphold the rule of law and democracy.

During a meeting with foreign minister Salaheddine Mezouar, the members of the delegation, led by Timothy Michael Kaine, senator of the state of Virginia and chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, seized this occasion to assure Morocco of the US congress support for reforms under way in the Kingdom.

The Members of the delegation have also expressed interest in strengthening relations with Morocco.

For his part, Mezouar welcomed the excellent strategic partnership which marks the relations of friendship and cooperation between Morocco and the United States, which were given impetus thanks to the summit meeting between King Mohammed VI and President Barack Obama, during the visit of the Sovereign to the United States in November 2013.

The minister also reviewed the progress made by the Kingdom to bolster the democratic process in accordance with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, as well as initiatives taken to improve the business climate and investment.

The meeting was attended by minister delegate for foreign affairs Mbarka Bouaida.

Madrid  - Spanish Interior minister Jorge Fernandez Diaz lauded, on Tuesday, cooperation with Morocco to fight jihadist terrorism.

The Spanish minister, who was speaking at a meeting in Madrid with a delegation from the US senate, highlighted cooperation with Morocco to fight jihadist groups which pose a threat to international security, said the Spanish ministry in a statement.

 The proof of such cooperation is the recent smashing of several jihadist networks operating in the two countries, said the minister before the US delegation led by Saxby Chambliss, Vice Chairman of Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

 Regarding his country counterterrorism action plan, the minister said that a total of 122 people were arrested between 2001 and 2014 for their involvement in terrorism cases.

Marakech- Morocco is the world’s only country that permits Jewish family courts to operate within its legal system.. The Jewish court in Morocco can only deal with inheritance and family issues such as marriage, divorce, wills, probate estates, and gifts between Moroccan Jews.

They are not permitted to deal with other legal matters, which remain within the domain of the Moroccan legal system and deal with civil and criminal cases.

Despite a diminishing Jewish population, the rabbinical courts still deal with some 150 cases a year. The system was set up under the pre-war French protectorate, but also dates back to the dhimmi laws allowing Jewish family law to operate under rabbinical courts according to their customs.

Jewish communities had a special place under Moroccan sultans because of their financial acumen and access to funds. They were also allowed to deal in precious metals like gold and silver and create jewelry, which at the time was denied to Muslims.

Despite the fact that most Moroccan Jews emigrated abroad (many to Israel), the courts still deliver judgments under the auspices of the King. The Jewish population in Morocco stood at 265,000 in the 1960s, but many left for Israel, Canada, and other locations following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. The population has declined to 3,000 to 7,000, according to some estimates. Now there are only two rabbinical courts in Casablanca, which has five rabbis. The court in Marrakech has been closed for six months due to the death of the rabbi.

The 2011 Moroccan constitution recognized the unique position of Jewish heritage in Morocco and its synagogues. Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane attended the opening of the refurbished Slat Al Fassiyine synagogue in Fez and read a congratulatory message from His Majesty King Mohammed VI emphasizing the importance of Morocco’s historic Jewish heritage and the King’s assurance to maintain Jewish religious freedom.

Rabat- Barcelona have decided to curb the media hype around their recent La Masia graduate Mounir El Haddadi in order for him to concentrate more on playing football than giving interviews.

Yet the Spanish media, which is madly in love with the Barcelona forward, was not easily deterred by the Blaugrana decision and therefore continued to track back the beginnings of the 19-year-old starlet and his family.

Spanish daily newspaper El Mundo conducted an interview with Mounir's father, Mohamed El Haddadi, who left the city of Castillejos (Fnideq) in northern Morocco and crossed the Strait of Gibraltar at 18 years of age with aspirations for a better life in Spain.

"It was a boat we used for fishing. We were 20 people. We took a chance and got to Algeciras," said Mohamed, or Jaime as his friends call him.

As soon as he arrived, Mohamed El Haddadi had to do what most clandestine immigrants do when they first set foot in Spain: stay out of the police’s sight to avoid deportation and start looking for a job.

"They could not hire me because I did not have papers," he said. "I was selling in the streets and in markets away from the police so they would not expel me."

"I arrived in Bilbao where I stayed for four years. I was selling jewelry at the fair. In this city I met a Basque chef," he said.

El Haddadi started working in a ham factory, where he eventually got the opportunity to obtain papers and fix his situation. He became a specialist in Basque cuisine before joining Chef Inaki Euskaldun Ongay in Pozuelo de Alarcon, Madrid.

"I have never seen anything like it. He makes the best barbecue I've ever had, seasoned better than me," said Chef Inaki. "When Barcelona came [interested in Mounir], I recommended him to go there. We had to explain to Jaime what La Masia was," he said.

Mahmoud, Mohammed's assistant and close family friend, remembers Mounir coming to the restaurant where his father worked.

"He was very shy. We always had to ask him what he wanted, forcing him to choose his ice cream, which was what he loved," Mahmoud was quoted as saying by El Mundo.

Mohammed explains that he did not like staying in Barcelona, where his son had moved to join La Masia in 2011. He only spent four months before coming back to "Little Morocco"; a neighborhood in Madrid where the El Haddadi family feels connected to the Muslim community that lives there.

Despite the success of his son, Mohammed did not change. Mounir earns an estimated 150,000 Euro every 12 months. And for every game he plays as a professional he earns 24,000 Euro, meaning that he makes more money in 90 minutes of play than what his father makes in an entire year, just 23,800 Euro.

Mohammed still lives in his small, 70-square meter apartment where up to 14 people live.

"He helps everybody," says his good friend Mahmoud. His former boss Inaki Ongay recalls: "He always asked me for leftovers to take them to a couple who were starving in a field."

Mounir's mother, born in Melilla, worked as a dish washer in a restaurant. Today she looks after Mounir's three brothers.

"Regarding my son I can only say that I am happy and very proud," she said.

Marrakech- After a difficult period in 2010—which saw the chairman of Kia Motors Amine Belkhouya incarcerated in Oukacha prison, charged with bad management and fraud—Kia Motors has returned to Morocco with its distributor from Abu Dhabi, the Bin Omeir Holding group.

Alex Chung, the chairman of Kia motors MENA region, announced the return of the South Korean car manufacturer to the lucrative Moroccan market, where it hopes to win a reported 8.7% market share by 2017, according to Mohammed Jamal Sahl, CEO of Kia Motors Group Morocco. Kia produces three million vehicles a year and could sell 200,000 on the Moroccan market, according to their estimates. They plan to offer 40 different makes of vehicles including SUVs, sedans, and utility vehicles.

Chung also indicated that new models would be launched in Morocco, including a new Sorento this year and the All Soul and Caren models..

The company emphasized that the new promotion would concentrate on customer satisfaction with a seven-year guarantee and the highest standards of customer support, ensuring that component parts would be easily available. Kia’s previous management encountered considerable problems with spare parts distribution. The company’s new management reassured Moroccan customers about the quality of service and availability of different Kia makes on the Moroccan market.

The Kia slogan for 2014 is the “Power to Surprise,” and it will need to be able to surprise Moroccan motorists to build up substantial clientele in a very competitive market. Their new promotional campaign will start in October. However, they may have their work cut out for them: new vehicle sales in Morocco fell by 7.3% in 2013, to only 120,766 units, according to figures from Morocco's Association of Vehicle Importers (AIVAM), as cited by the local Le Matin newspaper in January 2014.

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Marrakech- For those who love to dance and desire a glamorous and exciting experience, the 7th World Festival of Salsa opens at le Palmeraie Resort in Marrakech on September 4th.

Salsa, which originated in New York and incorporates swing dancing, hustle, and Cuban and Afro-Caribbean influences, has a global following. Salsa is a lively and enjoyable dance form featuring the rhythms and lively movements of Latin America, from such places as Puerto Rico and Colombia.

The World Festival takes place in a different country each year, and attracts people from all over the world. The World Salsa Festival is organized by Imad Productions.

Famous salsa artistes who will be performing include Albert Torres from Los Angeles, Franklin Diaz from New York, and the Latin American Dance Academy from Cuba. This colorful and spectacular event that runs September 4-8 in Marrakech is not to be missed.

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Rabat- The US television channel CNN has estimated that Morocco is one of the top countries for sending jihadists to Syria.

Based on the official data provided by 25 countries, CNN suggested that over 11,000 people, including many Moroccans, have traveled from abroad to join radical militant groups fighting President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, including the Islamic State (IS).

CNN ranked Morocco third in terms of countries that have sent the most jihadists to Syria. 1,500 Moroccan jihadists are fighting in Syria, followed by Russia (800 jihadists) and France (700 jihadists).

According to CNN infographic, Tunisia has become the main supplier of foreign terrorists fighting in Syria. Tunisians make up the largest group, estimated at 3,000 jihadists, followed by Saudi Arabia with 2,500 jihadists. Algeria, meanwhile, has only 200 Jihadists in Syria.

CNN pointed out that Finland is the top country in terms of percentage of the Muslim population fighting in Syria. “Nearly one per 1,400 Muslims living in Finland has gone to Syria.” Finland’s Muslim population is estimated at 42,000. CNN said that 30 of them (0.071%) have left to engage in jihadist activities in Syria.

Edited by Timothy Filla

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Marrakesh- The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced that deaths resulting from the Ebola virus have risen to 1,900, according to the BBC.

The areas of West Africa that are affected are Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia which have reported 3,500 declared cases of Ebola infection. Nigeria has seen two more cases in Port Harcourt, where experts say the chances of further cases are likely, and one case has been reported in Senegal. There is also an unrelated outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The WHO and Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) warned that the number of deaths from the epidemic is accelerating with a possible 20,000 people projected to be infected before the outbreak can be brought under control. They added that some $600 million will be required to bring the virus under control. No vaccine is currently available, and experts say it will take time to develop it. The WHO says that international agencies are completely unprepared for the scale of the emergency, and MSF even calls for an organized military response to the emergency.

Many airlines have halted flights to Ebola-hit areas, although some flights have been reinstated. Royal Air Maroc is continuing to maintain flights to affected countries as an expression of solidarity, according to Royal Air Maroc President Driss Benhima.

The WHO and experts met today Thursday in Geneva to discuss possible treatments and the fast tracking of testing and production of vaccine. Morocco did not send an expert to Geneva.

Rabat- French industrialist and co-founder of Yves Saint Laurent Couture House Pierre Bergé is releasing the English version of his book "Yves Saint Laurent: A Moroccan Passion", which pays tribute to the life he lived with Fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in Morocco, according to media reports.

The book, which was originally published in French in conjunction with the "YSL et le Maroc" 2010 exhibition in the city of Marrakech, is entirely written with handwriting. It shows personal photographs of the legendary French designer, many of them published for the first time.

Yves Saint Laurent had a special bond with Morocco. His body was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Majorelle Garden, a residence and botanical garden he jointly owned with Bergé in Marrakech. The 90-page book will be available on September 16.

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Rabat- In an interview with the Doha-based beIN Sport, Badou Zaki, the couch of Moroccan national football team, left the door open for Adel Taarabt, striker of Queen Park Rangers, to join the National team.

“Taarabt is a great player and the door of the national team is open for him, provided that he reconsiders the way he behaved with the former coaches,” Zaki said.

Taarabat was left out of the national team ahead of its training camp in Portugal last May.

To explain his decision to leave the mercurial striker out of the team, Zaki said that Taarabt did not answer his phone calls.

“Taarabt was left out because he did not respond to any of the calls made by the coach and the crew,” said Badou Zaki in a press conference held in Rabat.

After he played on loan with Fulham, then to AC. Milan last season, Taarabat returned to Queens Park Rangers.

Cairo - Morocco and Egypt have started preparations for the next meeting of the High Joint Commission, Foreign minister Salaheddine Mezouar said Saturday in Cairo.

Both countries share the will to give the next meeting of the Moroccan-Egyptian High Joint Commission "a practical aspect by giving the private sector an important role" in the works of this committee, Mezouar told the Moroccan News Agency (MAP) following a meeting with his Egyptian peer Sameh Shoukry.

In addition to bilateral relations, Mezouar said his talks with the head of the Egyptian diplomacy focused on the Palestinian issue and the Egyptian efforts to ease the situation in the Gaza Strip.

During this meeting, both parties examined the ways to promote cooperation in the fields of religion, fight against terrorism and extremism, said the minister, who also discussed with his Egyptian peer the latest developments in Iraq, Libya and Syria, as part of the ongoing coordination and consultation between the two countries.

Mezouar arrived earlier in the day in Cairo from Ramallah to attend the 142th session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers, slated for Sunday at the headquarters of the Arab League.

Rabat- Three days after US President Barack Obama’s call to form an international coalition to destroy the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), news reports suggest that Morocco may take part in the military operation.

On Friday, the United States of America called upon international leaders to establish a broad international coalition to “degrade and, ultimately, to destroy the threat posed by the Islamic State.”

Barak Obama said the commitments of Arab leaders, particularly Sunni-majority states, are "absolutely critical" to the success of his emerging strategy.

Some local reports say that Morocco, which is a Sunni state, may take part in this military raid, since ISIS remains a direct threat to the whole world, including Morocco.

Alyaoum24 quoted a source from the Moroccan government saying that “no official decision has been made by the Moroccan authorities so far. Still, supporting this coalition may be put into consideration.”

The broad international coalition will include the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, and Turkey.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Secretary of State John Kerry, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, and other senior American officials will pay official visits to the Middle East next week to try to gain support from Arab leaders.

Morocco may respond to the US call, since many reports suggested that Morocco has become one of the main targets of the ISIS’s terrorist attacks.

Rabat- Following the murder of an illegal immigrant from Senegal by a Moroccan citizen in Tangier, several social media activists in Senegal have reportedly called for revenge killings of Moroccans living in Senegal.

Last week, a Senegalese national was killed after being stabbed in the neck in a fight that broke out between sub-Saharan African immigrants and dozens of Moroccans.

According to Hespress, a FaceBook activist from Senegal said that they should apply the “Talion law principle,” an eye-for-an-eye, and kill a Moroccan living in Senegal, just as the Senegalese immigrant was killed in Tangier.

“Simply speaking, a Moroccan resident in Senegal should be killed,” a Senegalese activist wrote on his FaceBook account. Another FaceBook user said that Senegalese people should apply the Talion law, stressing that it would be very easy to find a Moroccan in Senegal and to behead him.

Another Senegalese social media activist went so far as to claim that Moroccans are Africa’s enemies. ‘’Moroccans exploit Senegalese people in Senegal, not just in Morocco,” he wrote.

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Rabat- The Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) has reportedly established many cells in Tangier and Laarache that are buying Moroccan supporters in order to recruit them and send them to fight with the ISIS military groups.

The World Tribune quoted a security source as saying that the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria has plenty of money, and it is using it to buy supporters in northern Morocco.

“The ISIS presence stemmed from nearly two years of recruitment of Moroccans for the wars in Iraq and Syria,” the security source said. He said that ISIS has mobilized more than two thousand Moroccans for these campaigns.

The source explained that some of those Moroccans have returned to Morocco and established ISIS-linked cells, mainly in Tangier and Laarach, to buy other Moroccan fighters.

Moroccan authorities have dismantled many formed ISIS-linked tourist cells, mainly in Northern Morocco. The most recent cell was arrested on August 14, when Moroccan authorities dismantled a nine-person cell, based in Tetouan and Fnideq, recruiting volunteers to fight with ISIS.

However, the World Tribune says that the Moroccan government has not acknowledged the ISIS presence, adding that the country has become a hotbed of radical organizations supporters.

According to the same source, ISIS has also attracted criminals involved in smuggling and drug trafficking.

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Rabat- Amid calls for criminalizing any attempt at normalization with Israel, a Moroccan Amazigh activist has sparked a huge controversy in Morocco, after he reportedly called upon Morocco to expand its ties with Israel.

The President of the World Amazigh Assembly (AMA), Rachid Rakha, has reportedly called for the normalization of relations between Israel and the Arab states, including Morocco, according to Art19.

Rakha stated that a “normalization of ties” between the Jewish state and the Arab world, in particular Morocco, “would facilitate the task of reaching a political solution to the Palestinian cause.”

The Amazigh activist stated that, “isolating the Jewish state from the rest of the world will only lead to more tyranny and dictatorship.” The boycott of Israel needs to be lifted, he said.

At the same time, Rakha has filed a formal appeal with the International Criminal Court to criminalize Israel over war crimes committed against the Palestinians.

Rakha’s statements have sparked a controversy in Morocco. Moroccans are generally staunchly opposed to any relations with Israel. Some Moroccan activists have even called for the outlawing of any "normalization" with Israel.

Alyaoum24 quoted the president of the Moroccan Observatory Against Normalization, Ahmed Ouihmane, as saying that the Amazigh activist’s statements prove that “there is an Israeli plan to rip apart the social fabric of Morocco.”

“The former head of Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate (IDF), Amos Yadlin, has said many times that he has established a networking of spies in Morocco,” Ouihmane reportedly said. “These statements confirm that this network of spies does exist in our country.”

By Asmae Nasri

Rabat- Maroc Telecom, a pioneering telecommunications company, paid tribute to 150 baccalaureate students on September 8th.

Sixty-six of the beneficiaries were sons and daughters of its employees. The celebration was held in the company’s social center in Hay Riad in Rabat.

The head of the company’s administrative council, Abdslam Ahizoun, gave the opening remarks for the ceremony. “By giving these scholarships, our company wants to encourage the young students who are thirsty for knowledge to embrace the values of perseverance and diligence,” he said.

Ahizoun reminded the audience that since the inauguration of this “Imtiyaz” initiative in 2005, Maroc Telecom has given 1200 scholarships to Moroccan baccalaureate students from all sixteen regions.

Encouraging youth is one of Maroc Telecom’s priorities. Ahizoun said, “Investing in human capital in order to build a better Morocco is one of our priorities, it is a crucial element in our policy”.

Edited by Jessica Rohan

Rabat - A draft agreement to train 500 Guinean imams (religious leaders) in Morocco was signed on Wednesday in Rabat, in the presence of Guinea's PM Mohamed Said Fofana.

Signed by minister of endowments and Islamic Affairs Ahmed Toufiq and secretary general of Guinea's religious affairs ministry Hadj Abdellah Jassi, the agreement touches on the training, in the first place, of 100 imams currently working in the different Guinean mosques, divided into three groups. Each group will benefit form a three-month training.

The agreement will also benefit 400 imams divided into 4 groups. Every group will benefit from a basic training spanning two years.

In a press statement, Toufiq said that the signing of this agreement is an implementation of the instructions by King Mohammed VI, Commander of the Faithful, to respond positively to the request of Guinea to train its imams in the Kingdom.

Majid Morceli

San Francisco- Just as countries around the globe often celebrate their reconciliation and their union, we in North Africa just unceremoniously celebrated the 20th anniversary of the closing of the borders between Morocco and Algeria.

It’s an established fact that the closing of the borders impeded economic integration between the Maghreb countries in general, but what you don’t often hear is the devastating effects on how the people of the region have grown apart in the last five decades. This is extremely important because people of the region are increasingly drifting apart. With every diplomatic scuffle we are less likely to ever experience peace, harmony, and prosperity in the region. The median age in Morocco and Algeria is about 26.5 years old, which means that the majority of the living population of both countries has never lived in understanding and harmony. .

Nothing could be easier than throwing blame on the other country, but are people of the Maghreb benefiting from what has been taken place in a more than half a century? Morocco has time and again asked the Algerians to let the UN deal with the Western Sahara issue, and the Algerians have always maintained that they have no interest in Western Sahara. Sounds reasonable, right? As a matter of fact, just on Tuesday, the Algerian minister of foreign affairs claimed that "Algeria has no dispute with Morocco." So why is the conflict still alive and only getting worse?

In 2006, Algerian military expenditures were $3.6 billion and Morocco's were $2.4 billion. Today, Algeria became the first country in Africa with military spending of over $10 billion, an increase of 8.8 per cent since 2012, and 176 per cent since 2004. It is a staggering increase in spending that the Algerian citizen cannot afford. The West could not be more pleased with this phenomenon of excessive spending. In fact, Germany has decided to build a military vehicle assembly facility in Algeria and Russia plans to build a “peaceful” nuclear power plant for the Algerians.

Morocco and Algeria could have easily worked out a plan to take advantage of the vast Sahara and cooperate to build a large and safe solar plant for their own needs (and perhaps export to Europe) without needing the Russians or the Germans to take advantage of our discord. Instead, the leaders of Algeria have decided to invite the West to boss us around in our own countries.

When the French and the Spanish tried venomously to separate us, they did not taken account that it is no easy task to break the solid relationship of people united by culture, language, and religion. Those who fought for our countries would be ashamed of us to see that getting rid of colonial rule made us enemies instead of friends.

Our separation is not what they had in mind when they sacrificed their lives fighting for us to have a dignified future. We should at least honor their sacrifice by not going after each other like mad dogs.

We certainly disappointed our founders when we crossed our arms and simply watched flawed and corrupt leaders leading us into an open-ended war. I cannot help but think about our brothers and sisters in Algeria “reelecting” a wheelchair-ridden president for the fourth term. How are we going to gain any respect from the democratic world and keep our heads high? Where is the “nif”, the pride that Algerians think they possess plenty of?

Terror is once again knocking on their door from Niger to Libya, and they will need Morocco to combat this virus called Aqmi, the Islamic State, and such.

Lastly, let us give a thumbs-up to the Association ”Youth without Borders,” who are working on organizing a symbolic volleyball game over the Moroccan-Algerian border on October 31st, 2014. We need the young generation to change the status quo. They cannot sit still and expect the ancient regime to do a thing for them.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy

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Taroudant, Morocco- Morocco will participate in the 23rd International Food & Drinks Exhibition, the leading international exhibition for food products in Russia, to be held from September 15 to 18, 2014 in Moscow.

As part of the implementation of the "Green Morocco Plan", the Kingdom will participate in the exhibition for the first time, through self-control establishment and coordination of exports (EACCE).

According to the official website of the World Food Moscow, more than thirty exhibitors from all regions of the Kingdom will take part in this international exhibition.

The Moroccan delegation will include senior officials from the Department of Agriculture and private operators who will present the richness, diversity, and quality of Moroccan products.

The government’s objective in participating in the exhibition is to consolidate and strengthen the presence of Moroccan goods in this market and explore opportunities to develop new partnerships in other sectors, such as olive oil and local products.

With an area of 256 square meters, the Moroccan pavilion will have a modern and authentic design and will present the diverse products of the Kingdom ranging from saffron, one of the world’s most expensive spices, to fruits, vegetables, drinks, seafood, and much more.