First Independent Mena Newspaper
France has launched the commemorations for next year’s 100-year anniversary of the start of World War I. In his solemn speech, French President François Hollande said that he wanted the program of commemorative events to unfold in a spirit of national unity, as well as friendship between all the countries involved in the conflict that […]
While recently attending a conference in Benin, the crisis in Mali still loomed large. The conflict in Mali had threatened to unravel the entire security situation in the Sahel and Western African nations spent much of the last year bickering whether a military intervention to save Bamako from approaching Islamist militias was feasible. In the […]
King Mohammed VI of Morocco participated Thursday in the inauguration ceremony of the new president of Mali Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, along a number of other heads of state, including France’s François Hollande. The presence of the Moroccan King at this ceremony did not go unnoticed because it was the first time that the king attended […]
President Bouteflika has carried a major political decision since returning from his treatment in France by reshuffling his cabinet. Principal ministerial posts such as interior, defense and foreign affairs ministries have been affected. Critics claim that the reshuffling is aimed at strengthening the 76 year old president’s grip to power while enthusiasts believe that it […]
Claims that government forces have used chemical weapons have attracted the United Nations Security Council’s attention. The council wants more information on the reports but Russia has refuted such allegations. More than 1,300 people have been killed by the attack. Three permanent members of the Security Council namely France, Britain and the United States together […]
The Egyptian interim leader Adly Mansour, has appointed Hazem El Beblawi as Egypt’s new Prime minister, after the democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi was ousted from office by the country’s army leaders. Presidential spokesman Ahmed El Moslamany announced in a statement that Mohamed El-Baradei is also appointed as Vice President responsible for foreign affairs in […]
At a time cyber attacks and cyber-spying are making the headlines almost every day and at a time cyber theft is rampant, France and Morocco have agreed to bolster their cooperation in cyber security matters and to enhance the capacity of national authorities in charge of information systems security. The broad lines of this enhanced […]
The United States has for years voiced support to the settlement of the Western Sahara in the context of the United Nations and when in 2007 Morocco proposed a plan providing to grant a large autonomy to the disputed territory, Washington has expressed in unequivocal terms backing to the Plan and subsequently to the Moroccan […]
The situation in Mali, the fight against terrorism and the strengthening of trans-border security are on top of the agenda of the 5+5 Dialogue meeting convening in Nouakchott Tuesday. The Foreign Ministers of the countries forming this informal sub-regional body that brings together 5 Western Mediterranean countries (France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain) and their North […]
President François Hollande of France is paying as of Wednesday a two-day state visit to Morocco, his first since his election in May last year. The aims of this visit are both political and economic, Morocco being France’s major partner in the Maghreb and France being Morocco’s closest friend in Europe. “The relationship between the […]