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)
I like this pic... http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums...4&d=1106006798
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
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!
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.
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.
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
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
Mohammed VI puts forward the continuity of his reign with the one of his father Hassan II
LE MONDE | 17.01.05 | 14h32
To the occasion of a visit of the king Juan Carlos to Morocco, the sovereign Moroccan expresss itself in the the newspaper columns Spaniard "El Pais". Since his arrival on the holds court in 1999, the king of Morocco, Mohammed VI, did not give no press conference and granted only four discussions. The fifth one was published, Sunday January 16, by Spanish the newspaper El Pais, to the occasion of the state visit of three days to Morocco that had to begin, Monday, the Spain king Juan Carlos.
To El Paisqui asks for him if the Moroccan system can evolve towards a parliamentary monarchy to the European one, Mohammed VI replies: "It does not be necessary to transpose the model of the European monarchies. We have our specificities and our obligations", adding that the Moroccan Constitution "is not immobilized". During the forty last years, "had us four Constitutions and many amendments".
What that distinguishes his reign of the one of his father, Hassan II? "Each has his trains, his special manner to work. But the important one is the objective. Where one wants to go. My father, that God keeps it, knew it also, as it knew where it wanted to go. And this objective remains: to work for the progress and the well-being of Morocco." Mohammed VI invokes this continuity about the "public audiences" in course with the competition of the official media, where testify the victims of the "lead years" time of his father. "The objective is to reconcile the Morocco with his passed. The initiatives -loaded organism of the audiences- serve to consolidate the monarchy and the democracy in our country. -This process- was initiated by my father, that God keeps it, in 1990, with the creation of the consultative Committee of the human rights."
Questioned on the fact that the victims of the "lead years" were involved themselves to not to quote no name of butcher, it retorts: "there is not judges and judged persons. We are not a court. It is a matter for us to examine, without complex or vengeance desire, this page of our history. From there, we will be able to advance in of better conditions." And takes it out on those that did defense of the human rights "a commerce funds".
The foreign press especially kept of its five first reign years the introduction of a code of the family more in favor of the women. The sovereign reminder that it also undertook to modify the electoral code and the one of the work, to put back to the honor the berber culture and to restructure the religious field. "I do not pass my time to recapitulate the reformations that I have. There are some a lot", does it summarize.
The political islamisme is approached: "Morocco is not a public country. This is a monarchy where the islam is the religion of the state. It there has not therefore nothing strange to this that the body of the political parties (...) there done reference, even so certain the more pronounced manner facts than of others." As for a drift of the religion towards the violence, "this is a threat, not only for the Muslim world. The risk also student for the European countries as for those of the southern shore of the Mediterranean".
The king goes back over the attempts of Madrid. "They were committed by origin Moroccans, but, of fact, they were established in Spain since years, they had papers, some had married Spaniards. Brief, they seemed perfectly integrated." The nationality of the terrorists nevertheless was for him "a big moral shock". "I want the Spaniards to know that I perfectly understand that the picture of Morocco was able to give rise to mistrust within the Spanish public opinion after this that happened the 11-Mars."
The kings and queen sofia look nice in formal suits, to me salma's suit doesn't correspond well to the event.
Thanks Abir for the pics..Can you say more why you think her dress does not correspond to the event? Do you have any suggestions on the dress you think would be more suitable?
You are welcome Moon. To me the dress is nice but it is a bit shinining for a cultural and formal event with a king and a queen. A suit trouser or skirt could be better ...
That's a matter of taste, and hopefuly each one can wear whatever he/she likes :)
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