• Morocco joins Israel and Jordan as the third nation state in North Africa/Middle East to sign a free trade agreement with the U.S. This agreement was a positive move towards President Bush's Middle East Free Trade Initiative set forth in May 2003. (wikipedia.org)
  • On the other are the poor relations between countries of North Africa, such as the decades-long dispute over territory in the Western Sahara between Morocco and Algeria, which backs the Polisario Front, the independence movement fighting Morocco for control over the area. (ipsnews.net)
  • The EU makes no secret of its hope that the countries of North Africa will eventually form part of the economic union. (gfmag.com)
  • Tempted by the region's free-trade agreements, not just with Europe but also with several countries in the Americas, companies from the BRICs have poured billions into factories across North Africa. (gfmag.com)
  • Ban left Mauritania on Saturday and headed to Algeria as part of a tour of West and North Africa. (ahram.org.eg)
  • In addition, Morocco lays claim to Ceuta and Melilla, which Spain considers its own territory because the two cities have been under its sovereignty since 1497 and 1580, respectively, prior to the existence of the kingdom of Morocco. (ipsnews.net)
  • As a result, the legal status of the territory and the question of its sovereignty remain unresolved. (inventa.com)
  • this group of small, craggy islets has become a tourist attraction in recent years, but its sovereignty is still being disputed. (gadling.com)
  • However, each time the issue is brought up by Israeli officials, their Moroccan counterparts start demanding that Israel recognize its sovereignty over the Western Sahara formally. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • But, the Foreign Ministry of Israel has not recognized Morocco's sovereignty over the disputed territory. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • That was the first time that she had publicly expressed support of Israel for Moroccan sovereignty over the region in Western Sahara. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • He had referred to the autonomy plan that Morocco had developed for the Western Sahara region as a positive move and had asserted that attempts of weakening the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Morocco would be countered. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • In July, Gideon Sa'ar, the former justice minister, had also visited Morocco and had recognized the sovereignty of Morocco in the area. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • The terms of the agreement dictated that they would recognize the sovereignty of Rabat over the disputed Western Sahara region, which had been a former Spanish colony. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • In the 15th and 16th centuries, Morocco faced external threats to its sovereignty, with Portugal seizing some territory and the Ottoman Empire encroaching from the east. (wmflabs.org)
  • The Trump administration as part of this so-called Abraham Accords bought off Morocco by supporting Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara," said Mr. Fletcher. (finalcall.com)
  • Spain is also a reluctant player in the conflict, because the Western Sahara was a Spanish colony until 1975, when Spain pulled out and the area was occupied by Morocco. (ipsnews.net)
  • In the case of Western Sahara, this is mainly due to the fact that it is a disputed territory between the Saharawi people, led by the Polisario Front, which self-proclaimed it the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) in 1976, and Morocco, which annexed two-thirds of the country in 1975 after the withdrawal of Spain. (inventa.com)
  • The United Nations has been trying to oversee an independence referendum for Western Sahara since 1992 after a ceasefire was reached to end a war that broke out when Morocco sent its forces to the former Spanish territory in 1975. (ahram.org.eg)
  • Morocco invaded Western Sahara in 1975 and continues to occupy three quarters of the territory to this very day. (vest-sahara.no)
  • Spain had withdrawn from the region in 1975, which had become renowned for its offshore fisheries and rich phosphate resources, after which Morocco had staked its claim. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • In 1975, after Spain agreed to decolonise the territory and cede its control to Morocco and Mauritania , a guerrilla war broke out between those powers and some of the local inhabitants . (wmflabs.org)
  • Once colonized as the Spanish Sahara, the area has been in dispute since Spain relinquished it in 1975. (finalcall.com)
  • The Polisario has engaged an armed independence struggle against Morocco from 1975 until a United Nations brokered ceasefire was reached in 1991. (finalcall.com)
  • Attaching recognition of Rabat's (Morocco's capital) claim to the territory as a tradeoff in the Washington brokered accords further exacerbated the tensions that has been raging for 46 years. (finalcall.com)
  • Additionally, media reports said the deal included an alleged $3 billion investment package for Moroccan banks, hotels and a renewable energy company owned by Morocco's King Mohammed VI, said the New York Times. (finalcall.com)
  • Critics say taking Morocco's side disqualified the U.S. as a credible broker on the Western Sahara issue. (finalcall.com)
  • In the case of Morocco, until Mr. Trump recognized Morocco's illegal land claim, America maintained relations with a noncommittal posture toward the contradiction. (finalcall.com)
  • Morocco "seeks a partnership of equals" that takes into consideration Morocco's own fisheries strategy as well as biological factors, he said. (arabnews.com)
  • A crowd of people carry Palestinian flags as they stage a demonstration in support of Palestinian resistance to Israel in Rabat, Morocco. (foreignpolicy.com)
  • RABAT: Morocco wants a new "partnership" to allow EU vessels to operate in waters it controls, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita said on Wednesday. (arabnews.com)
  • Western Sahara is an Atlantic-coastal desert area of 266,000km2, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania. (inventa.com)
  • Amid so much turmoil, Morocco and Algeria present relative oases of calm. (gfmag.com)
  • From Algeria to Zimbabwe and countries in between, a weekly roundup of essential news and analysis from Africa. (foreignpolicy.com)
  • It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to the east , and the disputed territory of Western Sahara to the south . (wmflabs.org)
  • The Sahrawis make up 500,000 people, with 170,000 living in UN administered refugee camps in Algeria and who fled a vicious independence war against Morocco that began in 1976. (finalcall.com)
  • In February 1976, the Polisario Front declared Western Sahara to be the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), with the support of allies that included Algeria. (finalcall.com)
  • Morocco regards Western Sahara as its own, while Algeria-backed Polisario rebels have sought to establish an independent state there. (arabnews.com)
  • MADRID, Oct 5 2005 (IPS) - Spain's announcement that it plans to build a third fence to separate its enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla from Morocco, using the most advanced technology aimed at keeping out undocumented immigrants, has drawn loud criticism while giving rise to many questions. (ipsnews.net)
  • Nor are there signs that the third fence to be built around the Spanish cities of Melilla and Ceuta in northern Morocco on the Mediterranean sea will keep out would-be immigrants intent on entering the European Union at any cost. (ipsnews.net)
  • Asked Tuesday in a news briefing in Brussels about the third fence to be built around Ceuta and Melilla, he responded that it would unfortunately be the first such "wall" built in Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and in the wake of European criticism of the Israeli wall. (ipsnews.net)
  • To Spain's demands that Morocco take measures to prevent migrants from gathering in makeshift camps near the borders of Melilla and Ceuta, the North African country has responded that it lacks the security forces necessary to do the job, and that what is needed is a "modern Marshall Plan" for Morocco. (ipsnews.net)
  • Morocco also claims the Spanish exclaves of Ceuta , Melilla and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera , and several small Spanish-controlled islands off its coast. (wmflabs.org)
  • The British Overseas Territory claims the traffic jam - which has so far affected more than 10,000 vehicles - has been deliberately orchestrated because of a disagreement over a creation of an artificial reef in territorial waters. (gadling.com)
  • The UN chief also called for Mauritania's help in a territorial dispute between Morocco and a Western Sahara separatist group that has displaced tens of thousands in decades of fighting. (ahram.org.eg)
  • Armenians and Kurds played no part as their territorial ambitions were dashed. (arabnews.com)
  • As of 2003, Morocco exported approximately 2.9% of its total exports to the U.S., while it imported approximately 4.1% of its total imports from the U.S.. These numbers show that U.S. trade with Morocco is almost nil when compared with Moroccan trade with the U.S. Therefore, the USMFTA will potentially have a much larger effect on the Moroccan government. (wikipedia.org)
  • Since the U.S., for the most part, has these mechanisms already in place, the bulk of the updating and reforming will be done by the Moroccan government. (wikipedia.org)
  • For example, just prior to the agreement (signed in 2004), a news release by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative announced major revisions in Moroccan labor laws spurred by the proposed signing of the agreement. (wikipedia.org)
  • U.S. companies that build production facilities in Morocco today will have an added advantage of exporting industrial products duty-free to Europe by way of the Moroccan-E.U. Association Agreement signed in 2000. (wikipedia.org)
  • In addition, Moroccan pharmaceutical companies have voiced concerns over increased penalties for intellectual property and patent violations. (wikipedia.org)
  • However, since the Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory, the legitimacy of these rights is a legal conundrum when it comes to international commercial agreements (eg, when licensing a Moroccan trademark to an international company). (inventa.com)
  • Indeed, can this licence be considered effective in Western Sahara by courts other than Moroccan courts? (inventa.com)
  • On the other hand, Morocco would affirm that a Moroccan IP right must be considered effective in Western Sahara by any national court in the world. (inventa.com)
  • Noting that the pending trade agreement with Morocco would include a wide range of services and investments, the EU said it hoped the pact would lead to "the gradual integration of the Moroccan economy into the EU single market. (gfmag.com)
  • According to a report on Wednesday, Israel is facing pressure from Moroccan officials to recognize the country's control of the disputed Western Sahara region. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • The Moroccan proposal had been endorsed by the Spanish prime minister for being a realistic and credible option to resolve the dispute. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • A former Spanish colony, it has been on the the United Nations (UN) list of non-self-governing territories since 1965 along with 17 other territories. (inventa.com)
  • The United Nations consider Western Sahara to be a colony, and have labelled economic activities in the territory to be illegal if they do not respect the wishes and the interests of the people of Western Sahara, the Saharawis. (vest-sahara.no)
  • Today, Morocco occupies two-thirds of the territory, and efforts to resolve the dispute have thus far failed to break the political deadlock. (wmflabs.org)
  • However, Morocco sees Western Sahara as part of its historic territory and continues to claim control of the region. (inventa.com)
  • Georgia lawmakers claim surveyors who mapped out the border between these two states in 1818 got it wrong, and part of the Tennessee River should actually belong to Georgia. (gadling.com)
  • We travel south on the margin of civilization, deep within the disputed territories of the Western Sahara, a vast uninhabited and inhospitable stretch of barren desert, long fought over, with Morocco and Mauritania laying hostile claim. (roadrunner.travel)
  • The little-known conflict was exacerbated in the final weeks of the Donald Trump administration by an unprecedented decision to recognize a sovereign claim to the territory by the Kingdom of Morocco. (finalcall.com)
  • When Spain left, Morocco laid claim to the area triggering a resistance movement by the indigenous Sahrawi people refusing annexation of their lands. (finalcall.com)
  • At that moment, Morocco agreed to hold a referendum on Western Saharan independence, but this is yet to take place. (inventa.com)
  • Following intermittent riots and revolts against colonial rule, in 1956, Morocco regained its independence and reunified. (wmflabs.org)
  • Since independence, Morocco has remained relatively stable. (wmflabs.org)
  • Saharawis take part in 2014 conference on self-determination and independence held in Morocco. (finalcall.com)
  • The SADR controls 20 percent of its territory-mostly barren desert, while 80 percent is controlled by Morocco. (finalcall.com)
  • As President Joseph Biden has been reversing policies of his predecessor, questions are floating about what his administration will do concerning the issue of Western Sahara, a disputed territory in North West Africa where conflict has recently escalated into war. (finalcall.com)
  • As the jurisdiction of Morocco in the region is at stake as far as IP rights are concerned, we can expect that cases related to the 2000 and 2010 EU-Morocco Trade Agreements would help to highlight a response or at least some guidance. (inventa.com)
  • However, these commercial acts were denounced by a non-governmental organisation - Western Sahara Campaign UK - which challenged the applicability of the 2000 agreement in Western Sahara before the UK courts, and by the Front Polisario, which defended the non-applicability of the 2010 agreement to Western Sahara before the European courts. (inventa.com)
  • Morocco and Israel's relations had taken a downturn in 2000, after the second Palestinian intifada had broken out. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • In 1976, it had declared the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) and had engaged in a war with Morocco for 16 years. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • But, Israel is not ceding to Rabat's demands due to which Morocco is dragging its feet about setting up an embassy in Tel Aviv. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • The General Court of the European Union in 2021 annulled EU-Morocco trade deals covering farm products and fish because they were agreed without the consent of the people of Western Sahara. (arabnews.com)
  • The bloody war between Morocco and Mauritania is long over but a terrifying legacy remains scattered ahead: thousands of pressure-sensitive mines still hidden in the loose sand. (roadrunner.travel)
  • The safety of Mauritania-bound travelers is no longer a responsibility Morocco wants. (roadrunner.travel)
  • Making progress on the situation in Western Sahara is also of importance here too,' he said, referring to Mauritania. (ahram.org.eg)
  • Mauritania lies to the south of Western Sahara. (wmflabs.org)
  • Naturally, the Polisario Front would defend that Western Sahara can be designated when applying for international rights at WIPO, while Morocco would contest this. (inventa.com)
  • The Polisario Front is the group that has been at war with Morocco over the years for the territory. (finalcall.com)
  • To be clear: Before the establishment of Israel in 1948, a Zionist was someone who favored self-determination for Jews in part of their ancient homeland. (blogspot.com)
  • The UN installed a peacekeeping force called the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) charged with monitoring the truce and coordinating the referendum on self-determination in the Western Sahara. (finalcall.com)
  • Licht stated that he saw the mega-merger between Warner Bros., formerly CNN's parent company, and media giant Discovery, as an opportunity to chart a new path in a sea of cable news competitors, such as Fox News Channel and MSNBC, who Licht sees as partisan. (bikernet.com)
  • The south Sudan army meanwhile said the north had accidentally dropped a bomb on its territory while fighting rebels of the western Darfur region. (apa.az)
  • Nevertheless, since the territory is largely occupied by Morocco, which considers itself to have legitimate control of the region, any trademark rights protected in Morocco are arguably also protected in all regions over which the country claims jurisdiction. (inventa.com)
  • Most notably, in Morocco, there has been concern regarding the reduction in tariffs for agricultural products and the increase in intellectual property and patent standards. (wikipedia.org)
  • The Islamic State group and other extremist organisations have exploited the power vacuum, making gains along the oil-rich coastal regions and triggering concern among Western nations over Islamist militants controlling territory just 300 kilometres (185 miles) from Europe. (ahram.org.eg)
  • They have decided to connect the territory to the establishment of the country's embassy in Israel. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • As of November 2006, 92 U.S. companies, 12 franchises, 9 liaison offices, and 22 NGO's schools, and USAID contractors have opened for business in Morocco. (wikipedia.org)
  • Liaison offices of Morocco are already operating in Israel and it has also committed to setting up an embassy in Tel Aviv . (zmantelaviv.com)
  • Both countries have had a long but peaceful dispute over ownership of the summit of the highest mountain in the Alps. (gadling.com)
  • Morocco claims ownership of the non-self-governing territory of Western Sahara , which it has designated its Southern Provinces . (wmflabs.org)
  • Although Mr. Trump did not own the territory, Mr. Said quipped, he saw it from the eye of a real estate mogul, not a geopolitical leader. (finalcall.com)
  • Arabs rub shoulders with Berbers from the Rif, Sahrawis from Western Sahara, and an increasing number of Senegalese and other migrants from sub-Saharan Africa. (gadling.com)
  • The Norwegian seismi survey company SeaBird is currently shooting 2D images of the seabed in the El Aaiun-Tarfaya basis offshore occupied Western Sahara. (vest-sahara.no)
  • Non-self-governing territories' are defined as 'territories whose people have not yet attained a full measure of self-government" according to Chapter XI of the UN Charter. (inventa.com)
  • Fugro-Geoteam , letter 23.04.2014, as no consultation with the people of the territory had taken place, according to the company . (vest-sahara.no)
  • These views are clearly a function of what people are told through news media. (davidswanson.org)
  • Adversaries recently targeted the emails of News Corp. employees, including people working at the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. (sans.org)
  • the majority of this city's population are ethnic Spanish who are opposed to the idea of being ruled by Morocco. (gadling.com)
  • Further, the Company is committed to improve its procedures for risk evaluation on potential projects in disputed areas of the world and will actively seek advice from Norwegian authorities when in doubt. (vest-sahara.no)
  • The 'Alawi dynasty , which rules the country to this day, seized power in 1631, and over the next two centuries expanded diplomatic and commercial relations with the Western world . (wmflabs.org)
  • At a time where extremes are dominating cable news, we will seek to go a different way reflecting the real lives of our viewers and elevating the way America and the world views this medium. (bikernet.com)
  • The US-Morocco Free Trade Agreement (or Morocco FTA) is a bilateral trade agreement between the United States and Morocco. (wikipedia.org)
  • In relation to the huge U.S. economy, the free trade agreement is expected to have a positive, but small overall effect on the U.S. The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has said that the agreement with Morocco is the "best market access package to date of any U.S. free trade agreement signed with a developing country. (wikipedia.org)
  • Although they still have not reached agreement over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, after years of enmity the two countries appear to be heading for reconciliation. (gfmag.com)
  • However, because it is a non-self-governing territory, it has an international code (ES), which is accepted for use in indicating states, other entities and intergovernmental organisations when applying for international applications at WIPO. (inventa.com)
  • The European commission appealed the ruling after it issued a joint statement with Morocco saying they would act to ensure continuity of bilateral trade. (arabnews.com)
  • The payoff in exchange was Morocco signing the Abraham Accords of Arab nations normalizing relations with Israel. (finalcall.com)
  • A major war is being fought in Europe with the fascistic Putin regime in Russia invading and mercilessly attacking civilian areas in Ukraine, and Ukrainian forces fighting back armed with modern weapons supplied extensively by Western governments. (cpiml.net)
  • The courts considered that, in light of those principles, the "territory of the Kingdom of Morocco" cannot be interpreted as including Western Sahara. (inventa.com)
  • A proposal had been put forward to the UN by Morocco in 2006 that would give autonomy to the Western Sahara region, while keeping it a part of the kingdom. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • Penalties for convictions under the bill, which does not distinguish among news reports, social media, and other media, include prison terms of two to five years and fines. (state.gov)
  • He pointed out that Morocco through strong lobbying efforts has garnered the support of many Democrats including Black lawmakers to certify its illegal occupation of the Western Sahara. (finalcall.com)
  • Africa Confidential - News and reporting on significant political, economic and security developments across the continent. (kwsnet.com)
  • As a result, the Company has decided not to undertake any new projects in Western Sahara without a change in political developments. (vest-sahara.no)
  • Public statements from some Israeli politicians have been in favor of the claims that Morocco has made in regard to Western Sahara. (zmantelaviv.com)
  • The row over claims that Nigeria 's state oil company failed to transfer tens of billions of dollars to the Central Bank prompted President Goodluck Jonathan to suspend the bank's governor, Lamido Sanusi , the author of the claims. (africa-confidential.com)
  • One of the problem areas is Abyei, a disputed central region which is supposed to vote in a simultaneous plebiscite on whether to join the north or south. (apa.az)
  • It also makes the legal framework in which disputes are to be settled more transparent to help reduce risk for U.S. businesses. (wikipedia.org)
  • Is the partnership that consists in taking resources and paying afterwards a framework that Morocco wants? (arabnews.com)
  • 21.co.uk are part of the Leo Vegas Gaming Plc group. (thepogg.com)
  • But there are several problems involved in the Spain-Morocco border question. (ipsnews.net)
  • Speaking to The Final Call from Spain, Mr. Said argued, the U.S. has no rights to the Western Sahara to make it a part of any deal. (finalcall.com)
  • Most of the 128 fishing vessels operating in Morocco-controlled waters under the deal are from Spain. (arabnews.com)
  • As of 2005, in terms of U.S. dollars, Morocco was ranked 89th among U.S. trading importers and 79th among U.S. exporters. (wikipedia.org)
  • If you disagree with these Terms of Use or any part of these Terms of Use, you must not use the Service. (ehlel.com)
  • EU negotiators are hoping the Morocco pact will become a model for other countries in the region. (gfmag.com)
  • The FTA does not include services or goods originated in the Western Sahara, due its status of non-self governing territory. (wikipedia.org)
  • Vodafone services in Portugal were disrupted after what the company called a "deliberate and malicious" cyber attack. (sans.org)
  • these same customers desire to quality in the products and offered services, thus it increases the competitiveness between the companies, a time that the customer starts to be ' ' center of atenes' ' , and the funny competition around it forever to please it and to conquer its confidence. (pnwws.com)
  • It refers to third-party companies or individuals employed by the Company to facilitate the Service, to provide the Service on behalf of the Company, to perform services related to the Service or to assist the Company in analyzing how the Service is used. (frett.life)
  • Service Provider means any natural or legal person who processes the data on behalf of the Company. (frett.life)
  • You means the individual accessing or using the Service, or the company, or other legal entity on behalf of which such individual is accessing or using the Service, as applicable. (frett.life)
  • SpringerLink remains dying parts with production to strata of singular items from Journals, Books, Protocols and Reference is. (sunshineday.com)
  • In fact, as more than one of the book's essays argues, it's even worse than that: These organizations, for the most part, have joined the enemy. (blogspot.com)
  • Perhaps no company has had a worse year than CNN, but according to its new president, Chris Licht, the network will be turning away from cable news "extremism" in a bid to become a "beacon" for journalism. (bikernet.com)
  • A 16 day-long campaign will shed light on violence committed against women in occupied Western Sahara. (vest-sahara.no)
  • Morocco possesses the "last colony in Africa" with its occupation of the Western Sahara, which it long claimed since 1957 as its southern province. (finalcall.com)
  • Africa South of the Sahara - Extensive selected Internet resources. (kwsnet.com)
  • He stated to Dagbladet that seismic studies in Western Sahara would be in violation of international law, as described in the Legal Opinion he wrote for the UN Security Council in 2002. (vest-sahara.no)
  • In addition, once the EU's Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area (EMFTA) is complete in 2010, additional duty-free access will flow down to U.S. companies. (wikipedia.org)
  • The owner of the MV Harrier Explorer , the Norwegian registered company SeaBird Exploration Plc , has been contracted for the operation in November , and has received approximately US $ 2 million to survey a minimum of 2,000 kilometers in the area. (vest-sahara.no)