Source: http://webcast.un.org/ramgen/conferences/hrc2006/four/hrc070321pm-eng.rm?start=02:31:23&end=02:35:55

Human Rights Council
Fourth Session
March 21, 2007

Morocco

Thank you, Mr. President.  Mr. President, the working group on enforced or involuntary disappearance fully has lived up to its vocation and its highly humanitarian mandate.  It deserves all of our appreciation and encouragement to continue its helpful efforts to assist victims.  It is exciting for its members and very useful for the cause of human rights at the international level.

Mr. President, I would like to thank Mr. Santiago Corcuera as chairman of the working group for the presentation he has made of the last annual report of the working group and for the results achieved during the last session.  The Kingdom of Morocco attaches great importance to this working group and the achievements it has come up with over the last few years.  My country supports its principles and objectives and welcomes the relations of cooperation that have been established with members of the group while taking note with satisfaction of the very positive assessment that has been made of this by the working group.  I would like on this occasion to assure all members of this group of the strong committee of Morocco to continue with this cooperation.

Mr. President, the underlying principles and the methods of work of this working group have greatly inspired the work of the equity of reconciliation body which was officially established by His Majesty, the King on February 7, 2004 with a view toward establishing the truth about violations of human rights from 1956, the date of independence of Morocco, up until 1999, the date when this body was established, clearing up cases of enforced disappearance, determining responsibilities, and ruling on applications for compensation.  In the implementation of its mandate, this equity of reconciliation forum has used public hearings of victims which were rebroadcast on television and radio stations as well as testimonies which were recorded and school and academic symposia which made it possible for us to have a national debate on the past violations of human rights.

This reconciliation and equity body has thus opened, looked into, and handed down decisions on 16,861 individual cases on the basis of applications received and it has put forward recommendations concerning the reintegration into civil service of people the administrative or professional regularization or medical rehabilitation, the physical rehabilitation of victims, and also more particularly, financial compensation which has exceeding $150 million, whose payment to beneficiaries has already started.  In addition to this direct and individual reparation, Mr. President, the body has provided for community reparations.  This is one of the innovations, Mr. President, in Moroccan practice which is aimed at regions and communities considered to have suffered directly or indirectly from human rights violations.

Lastly, and in accordance with its determination to eliminate all forms of international violations, my country recently signed in Paris the Convention for the Protection of All Persons Against Enforced Disappearance.  

Mr. President, in conclusion, I would like to express my appreciation and recognition to the Secretariat of the working group for the valuable services provided to the working group.

Thank you.