King appoints President and Secretary General of CORCAS
HM King Mohammed VI, with HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, chaired Saturday at place Mechouar in Laayoune, a great ceremony during which the Sovereign gave a speech and appointed the chairman and general secretary of the Royal council advisory for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS).
After reading verses from the Holy Quran, the King gave a speech to the nation in which the Sovereign said CORCAS is a milestone to anchor the culture of consultation and allow citizens to provide, through concrete and practical proposals, their contribution to all matters relating to the territorial integrity as well as economic, social and cultural development of the southern provinces.
"Based on the experience of the Council, in its first configuration, we decided to enshrine the necessary momentum to your Council in its new composition. Through the powers we conferred upon it and the privileged position we reserved for it, it may contribute, alongside the public authorities and elected institutions, to defend the Moroccan Sahara and echo the legitimate aspirations of our dear citizens," His Majesty said.
In this context, the sovereign called the inhabitants of the southern provinces to "engage in quiet and depth reflection, to see how they conceive the autonomy plan within the framework of the Kingdom's sovereignty, national unity and integrity territorial ".
"Persevering on the path we opted for together with the forces of the nation and in accordance with our commitment to deepen democratic practice that we want irreversible, we announced in our speech on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of the glorious Green March, our decision to carry out broad consultations with political parties and with the inhabitants of the region concerned, on the proposal that our country wants to submit concerning the autonomy of our southern provinces as final solution to this artificial conflict created entirely around the Moroccan Sahara," added the Sovereign.
Subsequently, the King received Khalihenna Ould Errachid and Maouelainin Ben Khalihanna Maoulainin the Sovereign appointed as chairman and Secretary General of the Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs.
The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House counselors, counselors of HM the King, government officials, leaders of political parties, senior officers of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Royal, President of the Supreme Court, Royal prosecutor with this Court, President of the Constitutional Council, President of the Court of Auditors, Walis and governors of the southern provinces, region elected officials, sheikhs and notables of tribes, as well as civil and military dignitaries.
Upon his arrival to Mechaour, the King was greeted by the Prime Minister, Minister of the Interior, Inspector General of the Royal Armed Forces, Wali of the region Laayoune-Boujdour-Sakia Al Hamra, prsident of the region’s Council, president of the Provincial Assembly of Laayoune, as well as other personalities.
King Mohammed VI, accompanied by his younger brother Prince Moulay Rachid, appointed, on saturday in Laayoune (1100 km south of Rabat), Khali Hanna Ould Errachid President of Royal Advisory Council for Saharan Affairs (CORCAS) and Maouelainin Ben Khalihanna Maoulainin Secretary General of the Council.
In a speech addressed to the nation earlier in the day, the Monarch announced the appointment of CORCAS members, in its new composition, to defend Morocco's territorial integrity and shed light on the Sahara issue and the developments and reforms launched in Morocco.
The council, composed of tribes Chioukh, elected representatives and civil society personalities, is a framework of consultation and proposition that assists the king in all the issue related to defend the kingdom's territorial integrity and national unity, promote economic and social development of the southern provinces and preserve their cultural identity.
Khalihenna Ould Errachid, who is currently mayor of Laayoune, was appointed by late King Hassan II as Secretary of State in charge of Saharan Affaires (1979-1983) and Minister in charge of southern provinces (1985). He was also member in the Independent National Rally Party (RNI) and among the founding members of the Democrat National Party (PND).
Maouelainin Ben Khalihanna Maoulainin was Governor of several provinces between 1985 and 2004.