Magharebia

The Euro-Mediterranean Summit in Barcelona did not restore lost dynamism to the Barcelona Process. Snubbed by the majority of Arab heads of state, the summit addressed two questions worrying Europeans: terrorism and illegal immigration.

On Saturday (26 November), five years after the implementation of the Millennium Objectives, Algiers hosted a regional roundtable to evaluate how much the UN programme has achieved in Africa with regards to its goals of cutting poverty, illiteracy and pandemics 50 percent by 2015.

Rodrigo de Rato, managing director of the IMF has called on Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia to work towards achieving commercial and economic integration. At a time when trade between the countries represents less than two per cent of the total external trade of the region, integration, in the eyes of the IMF, represents the only option for Maghreb countries to make up for lost development time.

At an academic conference in Washington, DC, American scholar Doris Gray reported that Moroccan women are shattering conventional roles.

Trade relations between Algeria and the United States are set to change significantly as the Generalized System of Preferences comes into force. About 3,400 Algerian products are eligible to be exported to the United States without tariffs. At a time when Algeria is awaiting accession to the WTO, this opportunity is sure to encourage Algerian producers to intensify their efforts to win the confidence of the American market.

Although opponents fought cutbacks in agriculture and other sectors, the Moroccan Chamber of Representatives passed, 71-31, the draft finance law for 2006 in its entirety in a public session on 15 November. Members from the Justice and Development Party abstained from voting.

A presentation of the Middle East Studies Association of North America focused on the rise of Amaizgh identify in North Africa, with presenters arguing that it mostly came about in recent times.

The World Summit on the Information Society ended Friday evening in Tunis with the 170 participants making firm commitments on universal access to new information and communication technologies, but tangible results were minimal. Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali said the Tunis meeting was "the summit of solutions".

While WSIS attendees are commending Tunisia on the smooth running on the WSIS, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo remains concerned that rural communities continue to be on the wrong end of the digital divide. He called on the developed world to offer more assistance and for the developing world to improve government processes.

Morocco's Royal Armed Forces club took home the Confederation of African Football Cup after beating Dolphins of Nigeria, 3-0. The win marks the third title for Morocco in the competition, with Marrakech team Kawkab having won in 1996 and the Casablancan club Raja in 2003. Overall, Moroccan clubs have won ten African titles.

The refuge of Father Charles de Foucauld, 2,000km south of Algiers and perched 2,800m up Assekrem peak in the Hoggar Mountains, remains a favoured destination among pilgrims and tourists from across the world. They come to pay homage to a man who dedicated his life to his religion and understanding the Touareg way of life and the Muslim religion.

The thousands of state, government and NGO representatives who gathered in Tunis for the World Summit on the Information Society have become embroiled in a debate about creating a new UN Internet Governance Forum. After torrid back and forth discussions, a forum is set to meet next year in New York.

The International Energy Agency released a report estimating major increases in world oil demand over the next quarter century. Countries in North Africa and the Middle East will supply a greater share of oil to world market, but to keep the cost from spiraling, oil-producing states will have to invest heavily in infrastructure.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan arrived in Tunis on Sunday afternoon, where the second phase of the World Summit on the Information Society is being held from Wednesday to Friday.

The friendly match between the Moroccan national team and its Cameroonian counterpart in Paris scheduled for Tuesday has been moved to a new location at the last minute because of the riots taking place in the outskirts of French cities. On Saturday, a friendly involving Tunisian players in the Paris area was smattered with incidents.

Two new institutions governed by the Forum for the Future -- a joint initiative between the countries of the Middle East and North Africa and the G8 nations -- will support reform efforts and economic growth.

The world received a sneak preview of the three latest software programmes from Microsoft in Algeria last weekend, making Algeria the first country after the United States where the SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 and Biz Talk 2006 are available. The event occurred as the world software giant celebrated its 30th anniversary.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Friday condemned the triple suicide bombings against Jordanian luxury hotels as he paid a solidarity visit to the nation in the aftermath of the attacks claimed by al-Qaeda. He also reiterated the need to accentuate efforts to combat terrorism. Police have arrested at least 120 people in a nationwide manhunt for those behind the attacks, a senior police official.

Bombings at three Amman hotels killed 56 people and wounded 120 on Wednesday, in the worst terrorist attack ever in Jordan, which is regarded as one of the safest countries in the Middle East.

Since 27 October, France has faced its worst social unrest in decades. On Monday (7 November) during the 11th night of disturbances, "urban guerillas" torched more than 1,200 vehicles and 300 arrests were reported. On Tuesday, the government declared a state of emergency with the aim of restoring calm to nearly 300 cities and towns across France.

The announcement by al-Qaeda that they will execute two officials from the Moroccan Embassy in Iraq has emotions running high and anger spreading through the country. More than 30,000 Moroccans attended a march on Sunday in Casablanca to express their discontent at the abduction of Abderrahim Boualem and Abdelkrim Mohafidi.

As the riots in France moved into the 11th night, President Jacque Chirac's call for order went unheeded, as violence and arrests climbed.

The festival of Eid al-Fitr is, more than anything, a festival for children in the Maghreb. Adult joy after a month of fasting can be gauged by the amount of attention they pay to children during the festival. Some people view the impact of the religious event through the amount of childrens' joy and laughter.

After a three-week tour of the United States, Mozambican journalist Bayono Valy told his countrymen that Muslims in the United States are generally prosperous and do not suffer much from the sectarian differences affecting Muslims elsewhere. He suggests US Muslims serve as an example for the rest of Islam.

Lyabouri Mouhafidi, the brother of one of the missing Moroccan Embassy workers in Iraq, discusses the situation surrounding his brother's disappearance and tells Magharebia.com what he thinks happened.