AA15CR22ADD1

AS (2015) CR 22
Addendum 1

2015 ORDINARY SESSION

________________________

(Third part)

REPORT

Twenty-second sitting

Tuesday 23 June 2015 at 3.30 p.m.

Evaluation of the partnership for democracy
in respect of the Parliament of Morocco

The following texts were submitted for inclusion in the official report by members who were present in the Chamber but were prevented by lack of time from delivering them.

Mr SABELLA (Palestine) – The partnership for democracy programme is not a judgmental programme. It is a programme that accompanies partners and, as Mr Vareikis of the Group of the European People’s Party said in his intervention, that means that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe proposes, not imposes. For the partners, Morocco, Palestine and Jordan, which is now applying to join, being accompanied means self-examination rather than taking a congratulatory stand.

The objective is to look internally and to see how each of the partners for democracy can evolve its systems of governance to better the prospects of all its citizens, irrespective of differences and particularities. The objective is also to encourage ingenuity in dealing with divisions, issues and concerns within each society.

We need to put this programme in the broader context of the tumultuous developments taking place along the southern shore of the Mediterranean and especially in the Middle East and North Africa. This morning, the Secretary-General of the United Nations spoke of the important role Europe plays as a leader in world affairs. Europe, and more specifically the Council of Europe, has an obligation and a responsibility to accompany Morocco and the other partners for democracy. Otherwise, the role of Europe could become peripheral to the concerns and issues facing States and their citizens across the Mediterranean. The term “accompany” means that we have to walk together and to exchange and learn as we strive towards a system of values that would offer us, as citizens across the Mediterranean, the bonds and common ground that would ensure progress towards a more stable and promising future for us all.

Mr GHAMBOU (Morocco) – Mr Klich’s assessment is an inspiring one despite some of its recommendations calling upon the Moroccan Parliament to step up the pace of institutional reforms. This should cause no worries to our delegation because much of our national debate back home shares the same concern: how to implement the social and political reforms stipulated by our 2011 constitution. However, it is important to consider what Morocco can do to enrich the partnership and ultimately turn it into a working model of co-operation between North and South or between West and East.

Many colleagues think that Morocco is moving slowly in its democratic reforms, but if you are aware of the stagnation that characterises Morocco’s neighbouring countries, you will realise that it is better to move slowly and surely than not move at all. Our progress is a big achievement in itself in a North African region where political instability, civil wars, and chaos have recently become the norms of daily life.

If there is one particular request to make of the Council of Europe, it is to help Morocco build a safe neighbourhood where the same values that you cherish can be promoted across the Mediterranean. Conscious of the importance of the region to its own development and that of its African and Arab neighbours, Morocco expects the help of the Council of Europe on at least three main issues.

First, a final solution to the Sahara conflict must be reached in accordance with the resolutions of the United Nations. Morocco is particularly thinking of the last United Nations resolution that calls for the census of the refugees in the Tindouf camps in southern Algeria. Algeria must be asked to facilitate such a process and to give the rights of free speech and freedom of movement to the refugees living on its territory.

Secondly, Morocco took the initiative of legalising the status of up to 18 000 illegal migrants and refugees. We now need the support of the Council of Europe to shift the initiative to sub-Saharan Africa, following our strategic south-south approach in which Moroccan companies and financial organisations started investing in agriculture, energy and social services. We believe that economic investment in sub-Saharan Africa is the only solid solution to the problem of illegal migration.

Thirdly, Morocco equally seeks the support of its European partners to succeed in its current efforts to bring the different political parties in Libya to the negotiating table. The disintegration of Libya is a threat not only to North Africa, but to the whole Mediterranean region.

Taken together, these objectives will help us to transform the Mediterranean from a border of violence and death into a lasting bridge of peace, dialogue and co-operation.

Ms KRONLID (Sweden) – I have read with the greatest interest Mr Klich’s evaluation and that of the Committee on Political Affairs and Democracy of the first four years in this Assembly’s partnership for democracy with the Parliament of Morocco. I subscribe to many of its conclusions, and its numerous calls for further action on the part of Morocco. These calls for action include the abolition of the death penalty, the end of discrimination against the country’s women, the decriminalisation of homosexuality, and an acceleration in the country’s efforts to reach a satisfactory solution to the issue of Western Sahara.

I recognise that Morocco has made progress in some other areas. Indeed, the country is, when compared with an otherwise very turbulent region, a relative oasis of calm and stability, if you will permit that expression. However, four years is a long time, and many of us feel impatient that, during this time, no or little progress has been made in the particular areas I have just mentioned. This should lead us to reflect on how we should conclude our partnership for democracy agreements in future with applicant countries such as Morocco. We should introduce more so-called conditionality in forthcoming partnerships, by demanding that reforms be introduced or completed before the partnership in question is concluded, instead of having to wait for years without much action being taken by our partners.

A case in point is precisely the situation in Western Sahara. The draft resolution rightly expresses its support of a “just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution” in the territory, but few noteworthy initiatives have been presented by the Moroccan side. The negotiations with the Western Saharan government-in-exile seem blocked and the prospect of a popular referendum in the territory to choose either integration with Morocco or independence – or at least self-determination – looks as remote as ever. We must put more pressure on our Moroccan partners to make more rapid progress on these matters and to improve the human rights situation in the territory, as well as the difficult conditions in the refugee camps. I have presented Amendment 4 to the draft resolution to cover that point.