Rabat - Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the former Prime Minister, said Monday in Casablanca that Morocco represents “a model of tolerance, openness and dialogue in the Muslim world.”
After attending the festival of Tantan in southern Morocco, just two months after his participation in the Forum Crans Montana in Dakhla, Zapatero was invited to give a lecture on the Alliance of Civilizations at a private university in Casablanca.
During his speech at the Casablanca International University, Zapatero said, “Morocco’s progress on equality between men and women is remarkable.” He added that “this represents a victory for Morocco as for Spain."
Zapatero added that "no belief, no civilization and no God can serve to legitimize violence," and that "respect of human ideas and beliefs is a requirement for coexistence".
When asked about his opinion on the Sahara issue, the former Prime Minister responded that he is convinced that "the international community is to respect the initiative of Morocco to offer autonomy status to the Sahara, but never independence, in order to reach an agreement."
It is Zapatero’s third trip to Morocco in six months. In November, he attended the World Forum on Human Rights in Marrakech, and took part in the Crans Montana forum held in Dakhla two months ago.
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