Received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, to give him the "White Paper", these former African officials have not failed to denounce the presence of this puppet entity within the AU.

Adopted unanimously by former prime ministers and former African ministers at the first follow-up meeting to the "Tangier Appeal" to expel the so-called "sadr" of the AU, held last Saturday in Marrakech, the "White Paper" admits that the presence within the AU of this ghostly entity, non-state emanation of an armed separatist group, illustrates the institutional vulnerability of the Organization and represents an undeniable obstacle to regional and continental economic integration.

The preparation of the "White Paper" tends to support Moroccan diplomacy, which has been committed for years to convince the rest of Africa of the merits of the approach that consists in achieving the expulsion of the "rasd", said to the press the former Comorian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fahmi Said Ibrahim El Macele.

He added that this entity has never been recognized anywhere and that the AU should not be the only sub-regional organization to admit and accept this "aberration".

For his part, the former Cape Verdean Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luís Filipe Lopes Tavares, noted that the problem of the Moroccan Sahara is an African problem and that "we can not admit within our organization an entity that is not recognized as a state by the United Nations.

This is "a legal aberration, a historical anomaly and a political nonsense," he denounced, highlighting the relevance of the "White Paper" as an instrument of advocacy and education.

"We will make sure that this cause is heard by our heads of state and government to show them the rightness of the Moroccan cause," said the former Cape Verdean minister, recalling that historically, the various tribes of the Sahara region have always pledged allegiance to the Sultans and Kings of Morocco.

"The accession of the so-called sadr to the Organization of African Unity (OAU) in 1982 was a serious political mistake and we are all convinced that reason, history and international law are on the Moroccan side," he said.

"The political will is there to ensure that at least 37 or 38 member states of the AU take their responsibility to vote for the exclusion of an entity that is not state," concluded, in this sense, Mr. Lopes Tavares.

For his part, the former Senegalese Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mankeur Ndiaye, said that the meeting with Mr. Bourita aims to make it clear that the presence of the "rasd" in the AU is an anomaly, stressing that its admission was a "legal aberration" and "a political nonsense.

The time has come to suspend the participation of the "sadr" in the AU because its admission was a serious violation of the OAU Charter," said Ndiaye, explaining that the "sadr" is not a state and does not meet any criteria of a state since it does not have a permanent population, territory or political power and has no capacity to establish relations with other states.

"All Libya's neighbors and all international partners are concerned with the restoration of peace in this country so that it can regain stability after years of conflict," said the UN official at a joint press conference with Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita, after their talks.

In this regard, Bathily said that "the interim agreement is important for Libyans", who have expressed their desire to have stable and legitimate institutions, noting that these institutions are able to pave the way for prosperity in Libya to remain united and stable.

In addition, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General in Libya said he discussed with Bourita the Libyan file in the context of efforts made, including the agreements of Skhirat and Bouznika, to bring together the conditions for the success of all these efforts, in coordination with the UN.

"The resolution to this issue will be sustainable only with the involvement of Libyans themselves, and that is why we have continued to invite them to discuss and present the necessary compromises in order to reach an inter-Libyan agreement," he said.

"We are working with all partners, including Morocco and the international community, to achieve the same goal by taking the same path," he added, welcoming the commitment of Mr. Bourita in this direction.

"These useful and important exchanges are part of the stable relations, solid and based on mutual respect, established between the two countries," said Quintana in a statement to the press after his talks with Bourita.

On this occasion, he welcomed Morocco's interest in South America, as well as the interest of the African continent in general, for its strong potential in economic, political and cultural exchanges in a context of increasing globalization.

Quintana also referred to his meeting with Bourita in 2019 as part of the minister's visit to Chile, adding that it contributed to strengthening relations between the two countries.

The Chilean official, on the other hand, has reviewed the work underway to develop the new Constitution of his country, stressing that the Moroccan Constitution of 2011, adopted at the initiative of HM King Mohammed VI, "is one of the experiences and texts that must be taken into account".

As part of his working visit to the Kingdom, the President of the Foreign Relations Committee of the Chilean Senate will hold several meetings with a number of Moroccan officials.

"The existence of the so-called 'sadr' is a legal anomaly because it does not correspond to the constituent elements of a state at the international level," said Bourita, who received former prime ministers and former African ministers, signatories of the "Solemn Appeal for the expulsion of the so-called 'sadr' from the African Union", or "Tangier Appeal".

"Its presence is an institutional obstacle and an anomaly within the pan-African organization," said the minister, explaining that the existence of the "sadr" is a problem for Africa.

The creation of this puppet entity is a "violation" of international law and the principles of national unity, Bourita continued, stressing that the "sadr" embodies "an Africa of divisions" and "a counter-sense" to the practice of the AU.

"We can build an action plan from the white paper to approach officials and raise awareness among lawyers and the media about this aberration," he said, arguing that "if the sadr is a state, its first place should be at the United Nations."

Adopted unanimously by former prime ministers and former African ministers at the first follow-up meeting of to the Tangier Appeal for the expulsion of the pseudo "sadr" from the AU, held last Saturday in Marrakech, the "White Paper" acknowledges that the presence within the AU of this non-state emanation of an armed separatist group illustrates the institutional vulnerability of the organization and represents an undeniable obstacle to regional and continental economic integration.

In a statement to the press on the sidelines of his visit to the urban health center of level 1 Al Massira with the Minister of Health and Social Protection Khalid Ait Taleb, the Head of Government said that now 100 health centers in Morocco have advanced reception areas, with the prospect of reaching 1,400 centers of this kind.

He added that these local health centers allow family doctors to direct patients according to their needs in order to offer them appropriate solutions, considering that the establishment of an integrated health system would clarify the medical pathway of the patient and ensure a harmony of medical interventions from the local health centers to the university hospital centers (CHU).

The rehabilitation and equipment of these centers are part of the implementation of the social protection project in accordance with the High Royal Directives, said Akhannouch, highlighting his visits earlier today to health centers in Benslimane and Mohammedia.

For his part, Ait Taleb noted that work is underway to prepare and generalize an information system that will allow citizens to use the digital medium to obtain appropriate medical services, the activation of the common medical record and the continuation of work on a project to operate compatible platforms to connect the information systems and hospitals affiliated with the Ministry with a national database.

Organized by the Butterfly Expo Company, SIDE is the international exhibition dedicated specifically to the animal husbandry and to companies working in this sector, the organizers said in a statement, noting that this event, the most important in the sector, brings together players in animal husbandry, production and storage of fodder, agricultural engineering, animal health, bio-energy, technologies, animal transport vehicles, livestock equipment and public bodies.

The visitors of this reference event for national and international professionals are mostly breeders, farmers, representatives of agricultural companies, distributors, veterinarians, scientific experts, researchers, investors and public agencies.

According to the organizers, the fair is part of a context of technological transition where livestock is emerging as a sector of added value and food security, as livestock systems make a major contribution to national economies worldwide.

The event has a rich and original program combining exhibitions, animations, practical training, live, demo areas, round tables, conferences, among others.

Citing provisional data available from Morocco Foodex, Driouich said in an interview with MAP on the occasion of the 6th Halieutis Fair to be held on February 01-05 in Agadir, that these exports show an increase, compared to 2021, of 13% in volume and 16% in value.

The increase in volume has focused on the main export products, namely canned sardines (+9% or +12,000 T), frozen sardines (+43% or +67,000 T) and fishmeal and oil (+36% or +52,000 T), she said.

She added that the rise in export turnover is the result also of the increase in sales abroad of these three products (canned sardines, frozen sardines and fishmeal and fish oil) respectively +33%, +71% and +93% due to the increase in their volume and their average price (+23% for canned sardines, +20% for frozen sardines and +42% for fishmeal and fish oil)

In addition, Driouich stressed that "the diversity of the food industry of our Kingdom has enabled Morocco to occupy a place of first rank in world trade in fisheries products," placing it as the main world exporter of canned sardines and semi-preserved anchovies and one of the world leaders in the export of octopus.

At the final bell, the MASI.20, which reflects the performance of the 20 most liquid companies, rose 0.37% to 809.70 pts.

A total of 24,919,815 people have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, while the number of fully vaccinated people (1st and 2nd doses) has reached 23,421,021, the ministry pointed out in its daily COVID-19 bulletin, noting that 6,875,379 people have received the third dose of the vaccine, while 59,803 people have got the fourth shot.

According to the same source, the number of COVID-19 cases reported since the start of the outbreak of the virus rose to 1,272,229, while recoveries increased to 1,255,867, i.e. a recovery rate of 98.7%.

As for coronavirus-related fatalities, their number remained at 16,296, with no case recorded in the last 24 hours.

The number of active cases stands at 66, with no severe or critical case reported in the past 24 hours, for a total of two cases.

Signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita and the INPPLC President Mohamed Bachir Rachdi, this Memorandum of Understanding identifies areas of joint cooperation between the two parties.

This is to exchange reports published by international, regional and national organizations on the assessment of the state of corruption and the extent of progress made in the fight against corruption and its prevention, processing and analysis of the aforementioned reports by the INPPLC as well as to draw the most important data and conclusions emanating from them to integrate them in the formulation of its reports, opinions and recommendations.

This MoU also aims to monitor the implementation of Morocco's international obligations, arising from the reports and conventions ratified in this area, in coordination with the authorities, sectors and bodies concerned, in addition to other areas to be agreed between the parties.

In this regard, Bourita said that this initiative is "part of the approach that HM King Mohammed VI keeps calling for, consisting of linking domestic policies to foreign policies."

He further stressed that Morocco should move from being an importer of answers to issues that hinder probity, to being a contributor and actor in international discussions and influential in the decisions adopted, based on its national experience and in consideration of its added value that can enrich the international debate.

"This Memorandum of Understanding should be a framework to strengthen Morocco's participation in international meetings and contribute to regional and international agreements, but also to present its experience to Arab and African countries, "said the minister in a statement to the press after the signing ceremony, adding that this institutional framework will allow both parties to work together as one team at the international level.

Bourita also welcomed the remarkable presence of the INPPLC at regional, continental and international levels, noting in this regard that the diplomatic network should support this body in its work abroad.

For his part, Rachdi noted the "great importance" of this Memorandum of Understanding, since it creates a framework for coordination between the two parties to strengthen the influence of the Moroccan position against this scourge and to affirm the Kingdom’s willingness to fight against corruption, in addition to the involvement of all skills in the development.

"The implementation of this Memorandum of Understanding is likely to give Morocco effective roles at the international level, especially in the fight against corruption, moralization of public life, sustainable development and contribution to the international effort to this effect," he said.

To ensure the implementation of the provisions of this memorandum of understanding, a joint committee was established between the two parties to review and approve joint activities, monitor their implementation in the context of an annual work program that defines the operational goals and obligations of each party and assess the consequences thereof, in addition to updating and adapting their content if necessary.