Here follows the text of the royal message, read out by HM the King's advisor Abdelatif Menouni:

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to send this message to the founding General Assembly of the Ali Yata Foundation.

I was keen to grant my patronage to this event, in recognition of the patriotism and deep commitment of the person whose name the Foundation bears.

The late Ali Yata had a distinctive personality. He was readily accepted and liked by everyone. He was also held in high esteem by my revered father, His Majesty King Hassan II - may he rest in peace - and was respected by all Moroccans, especially those who knew him or came in contact with him.

I personally think highly of him, given his earnest sense of patriotism and his struggle for freedom and independence, not to mention the positive contributions he made to building modern Morocco.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

For me, Ali Yata was one of the leading Moroccan political figures who made undeniable, constructive and extensive contributions, both in the political sphere and in party life.

In addition to his early involvement in the National Movement, the late Ali Yata was one of the symbols of national action and judicious partisan involvement.

It is important to keep in mind, in this respect, his sincere, responsible commitment to the nation's foremost issues, which were front and center in his thinking and struggle. They clearly had priority, notwithstanding his party’s ideology and the international dimension underpinning it.

One of the clear signs of this consistent approach was Ali Yata’s strong, active involvement in defending the country’s territorial integrity, along with his early action in international forums to highlight and uphold the legitimacy and legality of our national cause.

As regards his contributions to party life, he was the torch-bearer of a distinctive approach to the notion of political commitment, which consisted in making constructive contributions to meaningful institutional action, and putting national interest before any other consideration, without useless outbidding tactics.

He thus profoundly influenced the course of action of his party, from the beginning and up to the establishment of the Progress and Socialism Party, of which he served as first Secretary General.

He devoted himself entirely to making sure his party had the place and status it deserved in the national political arena. He also sought to strengthen his party’s role - alongside other political parties - in promoting the ideals of freedom, democracy and social justice, making sure the party played an active role in the country’s development and modernization endeavors.

Thanks to his open-mindedness, his intellectual competence and the lofty values he believed in, he contributed to building a politically mature and responsible Moroccan left-wing movement. He was committed to the nation’s sacred, immutable values and was keen to serve his country and defend its causes, unlike what happened with radical leftist movements in certain parts of the world during the second half of the twentieth century.

I must also mention the major contributions he made in the media sector, thereby enriching the national media through efforts for the emergence of a free and responsible press.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

I commend and support your initiative to set up a foundation named after the leader Ali Yata.

I hope you will draw inspiration from the values and principles he fought for, thereby making this institution a beacon of true patriotism, a platform for sober, constructive reflection and dialogue as well as a forum for positive contributions to the key issues of the nation.

May Almighty God grant you every success.