"Today, there is a real will to tackle the migration issue within a spirit of shared responsibility," said Khalid Zerouali, director governor of the Migration and Borders Surveillance.
In an interview with the Moroccan daily Libration on Saturday, the governor was asked whether the European partners are ready to mobilise themselves for the action plan adopted in the Euro-African conference on Migration and Development held earlier this week, Zerouali said that the tools of financing envisaged by the action plan "are those of the European Union and the Member States of the conference".
"There are also funds that we can receive from international organisations," Zerouali explained, adding that "we can only be optimistic".
The governor insisted on the importance of cooperation in the Moroccan approach to the migratory issue, and hailed that Morocco has become pioneer in the South-South cooperation as regards the voluntary return of immigrants.
"Morocco is also pioneer in setting up a model of cooperation with the North, particularly through close cooperation with Spain and other countries," the governor continued.
Presenting the future strategy in the field, Zerouali highlighted the communication and awareness-raising efforts, and greeted the dynamism of Moroccan NGOs in this field.
In the same context, the Moroccan senior official stressed that the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) is one of the initiatives likely to be used in the African countries to help settle their populations.
Zeroauli recalled that the rate of illegal migration candidates starting from Morocco is less than 65%, with less than 48% for Moroccans, and this "is thanks to the efforts of civil society and security services, especially in dismantling networks of illegal migration".
"Unfortunately," he said, "When we try to put an end to the illegal migration flows at a certain point, the gangsters move towards others. Consequently, many African countries suffer today from this pressure," he concluded.
© Morocco Times 2006
