Morocco calls for international conference on water in southern Mediterranean

    The proposal was made at a Mediterranean seminar held in Washington by the Commission on Security and Co-peration in Europe (also known as Helsinki Commission), part of the US Congress.

    The Moroccan delegation stressed that that the issue of water should be examined in all its aspects, especially the political one.

    Hamid Narjisse, a Moroccan MP, told MAP at the end of the seminar that water is the source of several conflicts, notably in the Middle East, adding that this issue would determine the future of security in the MENA region.

    The participants in the seminar welcomed the proposal, which is part of the "orocco Vision Paper" submitted by the Kingdom to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to reinforce the Mediterranean partnership.

    Narjisse insisted that immigration, as an urgent issue which calls for enhanced co-operation, should be tackled from its human, economic and security standpoints based on non-discrimination.

    The meeting gathered officials from the commission as well as representatives of the southern shore of the Mediterranean, including Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Jordan.

    Narjisse noted that the Moroccan delegation underscored the need for the commission to promote co-operation with a number of organizations which share the OSCE’s concerns, including the Euro-Mediterranean parliament and the Union for the Mediterranean.