Moroccan FM, US envoy discuss relations post Israel normalization deal

Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs David Schenker (L) and Moroccan Foreign Minster Nasser Bourita (R). (Twitter/@MarocDiplomatie)
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Updated 10 January 2021
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Moroccan FM, US envoy discuss relations post Israel normalization deal

Moroccan Foreign Minster Nasser Bourita discussed on Sunday relations with top US envoy David Schenker following Rabat’s normalizing its ties with Israel.

Schenker, who is the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, said that the US was committed to deepening the relationship with Morocco.

Morocco was a strategic partner in achieving stability in the region, said the envoy, who is the highest-ranking US diplomat for North Africa and the Middle East.

Bourita said that Morocco agreed with Washington on many international issues.

The US official visited contested Western Sahara on Saturday, after Washington recognized Morocco’s sovereignty there in exchange for the deal with Israel.

Western Sahara is a disputed and divided former Spanish colony, mostly under Morocco’s control, where tensions with the pro-independence Polisario Front have simmered since the 1970s.

Last year Morocco joined the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan in agreeing to normalize ties with Israel under US-brokered deals.

In return, US President Donald Trump fulfilled a decades-old Moroccan goal by backing its contested sovereignty over the barren but phosphate-rich region, which lies next to rich Atlantic fishing zones.

The US Embassy in Rabat called the trip by Schenker “a historic visit” as he is the first US official to visit the Western Sahara.


Egypt’s parliament approves cabinet reshuffle: state media

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Egypt’s parliament approves cabinet reshuffle: state media

CAIRO: Egypt’s parliament approved a limited cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, endorsing changes proposed by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, state media reported.
The reshuffle brings in 14 new ministers and creates a new post for a deputy prime minister in charge of economic affairs, according to the state-owned Al-Ahram newspaper.
The former head of parliament’s budget and planning committee, Hussein Issa, was appointed to that post.
Ahmed Rostom, a former specialist at the World Bank, was appointed minister of planning.
Mohamed Farid Saleh, who was executive chairman of Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority, was named minister of investment and foreign trade.
The changes also include the revival of the Ministry of Information, which will be headed by Diaa Rashwan, the current head of the State Information Service (SIS).
The ministry, tasked with overseeing media policy, had been dissolved several times following the 2011 uprising that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak, with its functions transferred later to media regulatory bodies.
As part of the reshuffle, the transport and industry ministries were separated.
Kamel Al-Wazir will continue as minister of transport only, having previously overseen both portfolios.
Planning was also separated from international cooperation, with Rania Al-Mashat remaining as minister of international cooperation.
Several key ministers retained their posts, including the ministers of finance, foreign affairs, defense, interior, petroleum and health.
The new government is expected to be sworn in on Wednesday, Egyptian media reported.