Top Picks

Description

Wikileaks reveals Mohammed VI Relations with the drug mafia A report by the U.S. Embassy in Rabat reveals the involvement of the Moroccan regime in operation of support to the activities of drug traffickers, either by closing the eyes on the activities thereof, or by sanctioning the elements security services who fight against drug smuggling. For the first time a U.S. official document speaks of the involvement of Morocco in matters of drug trafficking, citing officials of the Moroccan police working at Casablanca airport, who have been sanctioned in mid-August 2009 after they had arrested the son of the Senegalese president and the son of a Minister of the same country for drug possession. According to the report, King Mohammed VI had not appreciated the arrest of president's son and a Senegalese minister's son without his knowledge and without prior consultation. The two Senegalese were released later and the police officers punished. The report also quotes an official of the Moroccan police in Casablanca, who was mutated in the occupied city of Laayoune after he had implicitly accused the regime of being behind the drug mafia. Another report published by Wikileaks dated 2008 talks about the corruption that plagues the Moroccan army, especially among senior officials of the military institution. It says "the Moroccan army suffers from corruption, bureaucracy, lower educational level of officers and the continued threat of extremism of some elements." It added that "the head of the gendarmerie, General Hasni Ben Slimane "allegedly involved in corruption cases." Corruption, the report said, plagues the top military hierarchy in Morocco and General Benani turned into "a Baron of milk." the latter, taking advantage of his position as army chief in the occupied Western Sahara, manipulated markets to supply the army in milk, thereby making a fortune in billions of dollars, in addition to his involvement with other generals in doubtful markets of fishing permits on the coast of Western Sahara. He managed well, the report said, to build a palace for his family with money of corruption. Corruption also affects the officers who, to qualify for promotions, pay bribes to their leaders. • Morocco provided Washington with information on the Iranian nuclear program and incited them against Algeria. • Morocco promises to establish official relations with Israel. • Wikileaks report: "Algeria has not forgotten the blood of its diplomats in Iraq and demands to know the identity of the sponsors. • Wikileaks exposes the Makhzen's regime and reveals the inconsistency of its positions on Arab issues.