Morocco's King urges 'comprehensive perception of security' at 31st meeting of Arab Interior Ministers Council

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• USA - English

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ (MACP) -- Interior Ministers from 22 Arab nations met in Marrakesh, Morocco March 12-13 for the 31^st session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council, adopting the "Marrakesh Declaration of Struggle Against Terrorism" that calls for greater cooperation to meet the region's security and counterterrorism challenges. In a speech delivered on his behalf to the Council, Moroccan King Mohammed VI emphasized the need for a "comprehensive perception of security" that considers "the crucial role played by the citizens" in achieving security and stability "amid significant changes and far-reaching reforms under way in the Arab world."

"The concept of real security is much broader than the narrow meaning it is usually given," said the Moroccan King's message. "Security primarily means putting the citizen at the heart of public policy, capitalizing on an effective social partnership in which the State and the citizens mutually supplement and reinforce one another—a partnership in which security imperatives, development requisites and respect for human rights go hand in hand." He added that the foundations for authority should be "built around preserving and expanding liberties, safeguarding peoples' dignity and rights in a state based on the rule of law, and promoting a democratic system close to the citizens as well as a participatory approach in the management of public affairs."

The King shared examples of Morocco's own holistic approach to peace and security, citing the country's 2005 National Initiative for Human Development, "which makes the citizen the central element of the development process;" the launching of Morocco's regionalization project to advance a "democratic management system of local affairs;" the 2011 Moroccan Constitution, which "includes a comprehensive charter of social, economic, cultural and environment rights;" and the country's newly-adopted "multidimensional migration and asylum policy."

"Today, the adoption of an Arab security charter will only be possible through a unified, common Arab perception of the concept of security, with its constantly evolving economic, social and human rights dimensions," said the King.

In addition to calling for greater coordination, the Marrakesh Declaration condemned the sectarian discourse that feeds terrorism; condemned the recent terrorist acts against security forces in Bahrain, Tunisia, Algeria, Saudi Arabia, Libya, Egypt, Yemen and Iraq; and reaffirmed the Council's policy not to pay terrorist ransoms.

* For the full text of the King's remarks, go to: http://www.map.ma/en/activites-royales/full-text-message-addressed-hm-king-mohammed-vi-31th-session-council-arab-interior

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SOURCE Moroccan American Center for Policy