King Mohammed & Princess Salma- News & Pictures III

[Lyonnaise]

Here's the new thread for KM & PS. You can find the old thread, which has the lovely pictures of the first day of the spanish monarchs' visit, at this link. King Mohammed VI & Princess Salma News & Pictures: November 2004 - January 2005

[Moon]

I agree with Blueice's long post in the previous thread. Good analysis...My thoughts exactly...

Personally, i am satisfied with Salma given the heavy traditions of the Royal Palace...After all, it's easy to criticize...I wonder what one would do if we were in Salma's shoes...

[Moon]

Thank you Humera for adding more pics of the dinner...They all look glamourous....

I love the Moroccan Royal Palaces...What an architecture..:) .

And i love that the Moroccan Royal family keeps the traditions (Outfits, protocol and so on)

[Moon]

I like this pic...Salma definitely has a beautiful skin...the Ruby color is lovely on her....Of course, i like Queen Sophia, always a dignified lady as mentioned by a member in this site

[Humera]

You're welcome Moon.
And please everyone, those of you who havent seen the pictures of the first day of the visit yet, check them out in the previous thread. Its not very often we get to see lots of pictures of Lalla Salma.

[Humera]

some more pics

[Moon]

Small pic but nice

[Monalisa]

Originally Posted by Moon

Small pic but nice

nice pic Moon by ammar abdorabbo on the balcony,where it was taken from?

[Moon]

Originally Posted by Monalisa

nice pic Moon by ammar abdorabbo on the balcony,where it was taken from?

From Al Sharque Al Awsate

[Monalisa]

Originally Posted by Moon

From Al Sharque Al Awsate

Thanks,nice pic indeed, i guess that we will see more pictures while ammar is around and have a new star to take in photos,IMO most of photos of QR and asma assad are from him!

[Monalisa]

Speech delivered by HM King Mohammed VI at a banquet in honor of HM King Juan Carlos of Spain

Marrakech, Jan. 17 - Here follows the speech delivered, Monday night at the royal palace in Marrakech, by HM King Mohammed VI of Morocco at the banquet hosted in honour of visiting

Praise be to God Peace and blessings be upon the Prophet, His Kith and Kin


Your Majesties,
Your Royal Highnesses,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I want to say what an immense pleasure it is to welcome Your Majesties to Morocco. This is a special moment for me, and my joy is as deep as the affection I have for you, and which you have always reciprocated so warmly.

I should like to tell you, once again, how highly the King and people of Morocco regard the Kingdom of Spain, and how fond we are of our friend and neighbour, to whom we are closely bound by so many historical, human and cultural ties.

Thanks to the exceptional relations Your Majesty enjoyed with my late Father, His Majesty King Hassan II, may He rest in peace, and to the close friendship uniting us personally, our countries have managed to maintain constructive dialogue and mutual trust between them, despite the ups and downs of politics.

Building on this dynamic interaction, Spain and Morocco have made considerable headway in developing the broadest possible partnership since signing the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighbourliness and Cooperation in 1991. I am particularly pleased that cooperation between our two countries has produced such positive results which confirm Spain's special status as one of Morocco's main economic partners.
Similarly, when faced with critical humanitarian situations recently, our two peoples spontaneously came out in support of each other, thus giving further evidence of the strength and depth of the ties uniting them.

I therefore think we should use these valuable assets as best we can and build on our undeniable achievements to ensure that our special ties develop into a true, multidimensional strategic partnership based on mutual trust and renovated mechanisms, and open to various players. Our partnership should be commensurate with the role Morocco and Spain should play in the Euro-Mediterranean region, given their position as a focal point for trade and interaction.

All the prerequisites have now been met to successfully tackle this major challenge.

I firmly believe our joint efforts, combined with the vision we both have of a promising future, should help us accommodate, in a harmonious, sustainable way, our respective needs in terms of sovereignty, security and development.

To promote better understanding between our two peoples, their perception of each other needs to be improved, and prejudices and harmful misrepresentations need to be stamped out.

In this respect, I am delighted with the quality of the cultural cooperation programs under way and with the reactivation of the Averroes Committee, which now has a new membership.

I also welcome the establishment, in Tetuan, of a university where Arabic and Spanish are the main languages used for teaching and research. Another source of satisfaction is the launching, today, of the Year of Spain in Morocco, to be followed, in 2006, by the Year of Morocco in Spain.

Your Majesties,

I should like to praise NGOs for their dynamism in the area of development, and to encourage Spanish autonomous Communities and Morocco's Regions to play their role fully in this field and make the most of the diversity of the actors involved in our partnership.

Similarly, I want to commend Spain's commitment to increase its financial contribution as part of the cooperation for development program. Given the exemplary Spanish experience in our northern provinces, which are rightly considered a top priority area, I hope this type of cooperation will be extended to other regions in the Kingdom.

I am delighted our governments are working together to encourage, back up and expand relations between the Moroccan and Spanish business communities. Thanks to in-depth economic reforms undertaken by Morocco, there are now many partnership opportunities between our two countries that are real and profitable to both sides, whether in the area of agriculture, agri-business, fisheries, tourism, industry or new technology.

I am also pleased to note the progress made in our cooperation with respect to prevention and control of illegal immigration, and the effective action taken by both sides to halt this phenomenon. I am happy to see our countries are both determined to manage migration flows. They are using an approach which accommodates, in a just and balanced way, the obligations stemming from the legal bilateral framework which governs both lawful migration and the readmission of people.

Similarly, substantial progress has been made by the joint Committee for the Europe-Africa fixed link across the Strait of Gibraltar, a project that should bring our countries even closer to each other, as part of the new European Neighbourhood Policy.

Your Majesties,

Our firm belief that we share a common destiny, that our partnership is special, and that both Morocco and Spain are committed to the noble universal values of democracy and respect for human rights, should encourage us to consult with each other more often and to increase joint initiatives, not only for the benefit of our countries, but also for the sake of regional and international peace and security. In this regard, I am pleased Morocco and Spain are working closely together and initiating combined efforts, as part of the international struggle against the scourge of terrorism, or through the deployment of a joint battalion in Haiti, under the aegis of the United Nations.

Your Majesties,

Four years ago, I expressed the hope that our partnership would give Morocco and Spain the historic opportunity of getting jointly involved in reinvigorating, on a new basis, the Barcelona Process, whose tenth anniversary is to be celebrated shortly. This commemoration should provide a fitting opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved, and to give fresh impetus to the process, so that it may contribute fully to the creation of an area of peace, security, stability and shared prosperity in the region.

For this very reason, Morocco has worked relentlessly to make the Maghreb a centre of stability and an influential partner of the European Union. As Your Majesties know, my country has made every effort to remove the obstacle delaying the achievement of this major objective. Morocco has consistently shown great willingness to cooperate with the United Nations in order to find a political solution to the artificial dispute imposed on my country. It should be a negotiated, final and mutually acceptable solution, which is likely to enable the populations of the southern provinces to manage their regional affairs by themselves, and which respects Morocco's sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity.

The same concern for peace and stability in the Mediterranean has determined the action Morocco has been undertaking in favour of a just and comprehensive settlement of the Middle-East conflict. In this regard, my country appreciates the effort being made, along the same lines, by the Kingdom of Spain, which has always maintained fruitful, friendly relations with the Arab world.

Your Majesties,

I am sure you are aware of the special place you hold in our hearts and of the Moroccan people's loyal friendship for their Spanish neighbours. I consider these lofty, sincere sentiments to be our most valuable asset. It is our duty to preserve and nurture it together.

Your Royal Highnesses, Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, may I ask you to rise in honour of His Majesty King Juan Carlos I and Her Majesty Queen Sofia.

Wassalamu alaikum warahmatullah wabarakatuh.

© MAP 2005

[Monalisa]

HM King Juan Carlos hails Morocco’s reforms

Marrakech, jan. 17 - HM King Juan Carlos of Spain greeted the reforms carried out by Morocco under the leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, to "make of Morocco a modern and democratic country, respectful of human rights”.

In an exchange of toasts at a banquet hosted in his honour by HM King Mohammed VI, Monday night at the royal palace in Marrakech, the Spanish monarch said how much he "appreciates the changes that occurred in Morocco, under the inspiration of the dynasty which your Majesty incarnates.”

HM King Juan Carlos who started on Monday a three-day state visit to Morocco, also praised the measures taken by Morocco “for the liberalization of its economy to ensure the necessary development and prosperity of Your people." He gave as example the entry into force of the Family Code which ''helps build a Morocco respectful of the tradition of the Arab-Muslim world and, at the same time, aims at improving women's rights.”

"Since your Majesty announced, in 1999, a whole series of measures in realm of human rights, you have shown that you will be the King of all the Morrocans, by restructuring the Consultative Council of Human Rights which achieved a remarkable and laudable work, and then, by introducing various reforms as regards civil liberties namely through the creation of the Equity and Reconciliation Commission".

Among the other reforms initiated by Morocco, HM King Juan Carlos mentioned the bill on the political parties which, he said, "is called to play a paramount part in the process of transition."

He also pointed out to the efforts carried out by Morocco in the economic realm and to the measures taken to encourage economic and commercial integration within the countries of the region.

The Spanish monarch underlined the joint effort carried out by the two countries to ''favor tolerance and harmony” in international relations noting they both underline the need to establish ''a just and balanced world order.” He gave as example of this effort the participation of a joint Moroccan-Spanish contingent in the UN-supervised peace keeping mission in Haiti.

On the Sahara issue, the Spanish Sovereign indicated that his country "is resolutely decided to support the process to reach, within the framework of the United Nations resolutions of, a just solution acceptable by all the parties".

Concerning the fight of terrorism, HM King Juan Carlos stressed that the two countries have to fight against this plague so " to make prevail the logic of the reason and international legality".


He recalled in this regard the terrorists attacks in Casablanca in May 2003 and Madrid in March 2004, which, he said "encourage us to continue to work together to put an end to terrorism and to guarantee the right to life''.

He hailed on this occasion the “effective collaboration and the firm support expressed by the Moroccan authorities to Spain in their fight against this plague.”

On the international level, the Spanish Sovereign praised the action carried out by HM King Mohammed VI in his capacity as chairman of the Al Qods (Jerusalem) Committee, particularly at a time when “new opportunities are being provided to push forward the peace process in the Middle East.” He said this Committee -an off-shoot of the organization of Islamic Conference (OIC)- constitutes “an instrument even more important in the search of a fair and lasting peace in this region of the world".

After recalling the Treaty of Friendship, Good vicinity and Co-operation binding the two countries since 1991, HM King Juan Carlos said that in spite of the vicissitudes which marked their recent history, Spain and Morocco “maintained the course of their relations.” He paid homage to the Moroccan community established in Spain for its integration within the Spanish society and its "contribution to the economic development of our country".

He called on the two countries to carry on their efforts to curb illegal immigration and human trafficking.

© MAP 2005

[Reina]

I really like the way they had the round table instead of a straight table. It makes the environment more intimate and friendly

[khadijalove]

can somwone give us the side where we can find more pics?

[abir]

Originally Posted by Blueice

Surely, commoners do have their share of earthly worries and difficulties to face on a daily basis - however, it is hardly comparable since most of us have a privilege of leading personal life in privacy, without implicit public scrutiny involved all the time and huge, national and international based responsibilities for every single move we make. I guess that adds significant pressure and makes all the difference.

Regarding support requiring, I don't really belive support, especially the kind of support that person should get from her family and loved ones, is something that can be or should be required - either it is given as an expression of care, love and good will - or it is not. Unwillingly offered support is not likely to be of true assistance to anyone.

Again, we can only speculate about real life behind the palace walls, and whether Lalla Salma has a sole charge of her public role, position, and message she should send to the nation are her decisions to make, or not. That perhaps might be the answer to her limited public activities - perhaps the changes were a bit too fast and radical for some social circles in Morocco to be easily accepted, perhaps there is a clash of interest inside the family, perhaps her role is considered progressive enough as it is, and any more public exposure would be considered 'too much - too soon', perhaps there is certain 'Diana' or 'Rania' syndrome threat when it comes to this issue - or, she truly prefers low profile and is dedicated to family. And even in that case (family oriented personality) - the question of her suitability for the role (although there are many first ladies who have chosen low profile as a life style) should not be addressed to her only - she is her husbands choice, after all.

I realize that issues exists regarding her lack of public activity and they shouldn't be ignored or not questioned - on the contrary, but I see it as unfair not to allow some possibility that certain objective or subjective reasons for that exists - and that they might not be her personal choice. It would be nice if things were simple as that - she is a princess, she is in the position to make her own decisions and arrange her life to her personal preferences, so she is the only one responsible for her choices and the only one to blame if something is not done to general liking. However, I don't belive that to be the case. This is my opinion, of course - without closing eyes or ignoring issues, I just wish we can see things from different angles and try to be more understanding and tolerant in approach to them, that's all.

Blueice, we have to leave a space of a fact and its opposite, otherwise we will not see everything.


You mentioned above many outsider factors that affect salma/M6 choice, and there is a little to say it's simply their proper choice which is not that perfect and which can't please everyone. I don’t say it is only that way or another … but everything is possible. I am subjective here and I believe royals are human being and they are subject to good decisions, good behaviors ... as well to errors, mistakes and wrong decisions. Seeing both is exactly what we can called it “see things from different angles and try to be more understanding and tolerant in approach to them”.

You mentioned many maybes ... and I believe does exist many other maybes.

Generally speaking, different opinions are good, you know why? Because when people have freedom of speech and a free market of opinions, usually protects democratic country from making major mistakes.

[rosa]

The garments that salma wore for welcome the Royal Spanish couple in the airport and to attend the inauguration are very pretty and suit her well, but I think that they doesn't tally to the event

For a welcome to the airport the jacket that salma wore is a lot too rich, and the dress of the inauguration would have been perfected for one private dinner



salma is almost always behind queen sophie, it may be the protocol that requires it or she is very shy, in any case it is strange because the queen almost always walks alone



The caftan of salma is very beautiful (a woman with black hair would have been superb with), but her hairdressing, her hair’s color too red and her makeup (in particular the lipstick that doesn’t suit her) aren’t’ at all elegant



In general I think that salma doesn't know how to match her clothes with the event, she is very sophisticated and she seems in public always very intimidated and not all warm with her guests

[abir]

I see what you mean rosa ... orange coat maybe too much for welcoming royals. A close picture of salma shows similar makeup she opted for before.
For the dinner, I love Meryem dress and her hair, just simple and wonderful. I post small pictures which can't be enlarged, from ibl.se