http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/01/27/feature-02
Magharebia (Morocco) January 27, 2010 Rabat conference tackles Mediterranean security challenges By Siham Al -The Moroccan official...urged NATO to consider expanding into areas bordering the Mediterranean basin, "particularly the Sahel and the Atlantic seaboard, given their precarious situation". Rabat: Participants in a conference held on Monday in Rabat discuss "multi-dimensional" approaches to Mediterranean security. New approaches to improving security in the Mediterranean basin were discussed at a conference held in Rabat on Monday (January 25th). At the event, which was jointly organised by Morocco and NATO, members of Parliament, professors, students and diplomats examined how "multi-dimensional" approaches with an eye to development could strengthen regional security. "Terrorism, drug trafficking, piracy and human trafficking are placing a real burden on security in the Mediterranean," the secretary general of Morocco's Foreign Ministry, Youssef Amrani, said at the event, which took place under the banner "Mediterranean Dialogue and the New Strategic Concept of NATO". .... The Moroccan official...urged NATO to consider expanding into areas bordering the Mediterranean basin, "particularly the Sahel and the Atlantic seaboard, given their precarious situation". On the sidelines of the conference, NATO Deputy Secretary General Claudio Bisogniero met with Moroccan government officials charged with bilateral co-operation.... "NATO's commitment to the Mediterranean Dialogue with its partners is the result of the instability in the security context, which affects all countries today," the NATO official said. He urged Morocco to adopt NATO's new "strategic alliance" plan to build a trans-Atlantic consensus to encourage a participative approach to security among NATO members. Bosigniero said the new approach should also involve other international organisations, including the EU, the UN and NGOs. .... Morocco-NATO co-operation extends back for many years, and includes joint operations to fight terrorism and manage international crises. Morocco sent teams to Kosovo and Bosnia-Herzegovina to participate in NATO military exercises, and also contributes to peace-keeping operations in politically fragile areas. "This co-operation will only become more intense … much like the contribution to crisis management operations led by the Balkan Alliance, or Morocco's unequivocal engagement in the Active Endeavour operation" which monitors terrorist activity in the Mediterranean area, Amrani said. The Moroccan government remains steadfast in its commitment to continuing Mediterranean co-operation within the NATO framework, said the director of the Social Science Study and Research Centre, Abdellah Saaf. "We have to keep up with developments and pursue dialogue," he added. =========================== Stop NATO http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato Blog site: http://rickrozoff.wordpress.com/ To subscribe, send an e-mail to: rwroz...@yahoo.com or stopnato-subscr...@yahoogroups.com Daily digest option available. ==============================
