"Morocco, under the leadership of HM the King, is a pioneer in the promotion of human rights," said the minister, recalling that the Kingdom considers dialogue on the human rights aspect as "a contribution to the Moroccan-U.S. partnership which is a partnership of values​​”.

In his answer to questions by expert in international politics Jeffrey Feltman, former senior US diplomat and former Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs at the UN, Mr. Bourita shed light on Morocco's advances over the past two decades with a view to strengthening the culture of human rights, noting that in addition to political rights, women's rights and constitutional reforms, the Kingdom is also making progress on the social and economic rights front.

“Three months ago, HM the King announced a vast program to ensure the generalization of social protection,” he pointed out in this regard, stressing that Morocco is also expanding the scope of these rights, mainly because the Kingdom is distinguished by another aspect not always put forward, namely the rights of communities.

In this regard, he mentioned the peaceful coexistence and rights enjoyed by the Moroccan Jewish community as well as the rights guaranteed to thousands of migrants on the same basis as Moroccan citizens, including currently access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Like other countries in the world, we still have challenges to meet but we are convinced of the ambitions to be achieved and we have a major asset, namely the leadership of HM the King" to continue our path towards progress, noted the minister.

Regarding the Sahara issue, Bourita underlined Morocco's commitment to a "solution-oriented approach" with a view to definitively settling this regional dispute which continues to hamper the development of the Maghreb region as well as the aspirations of its peoples.

"I think today we should move towards a diplomacy oriented towards a solution to the Sahara issue, and this is the reason why the United States had already considered in 2007 the autonomy plan as a serious, credible and realistic solution to this dispute, as it has been confirmed by three successive U.S. administrations," the minister pointed out.

On the U.S. presidential proclamation on the Moroccanness of the Sahara, Bourita stressed that Morocco remains committed to the political process initiated under the auspices of the UN, and considers this progress as "an opportunity" on the way towards a final settlement.

Answering a question from Feltman on Morocco's commitment, under the leadership of HM the King, in favor of peace and stability in Libya and for the settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the minister recalled that the Kingdom has worked tirelessly to help the Libyans move forward on the path of reconciliation, peace and stability, noting in this regard the importance of the elections on December 24th.

The challenges, he said, relate to transition and legitimacy, noting that the efforts of the international community must support the achievement of these two goals.

Regarding the renewal of relations between Morocco and Israel, Bourita recalled the specific relations between Moroccan Jews and the Kings of Morocco, as well as the reputation enjoyed by the Kingdom as a model of tolerance and peaceful coexistence between different communities as well as its credibility with both Palestinians and Israelis

The Kingdom, the minister said, uses all these assets to promote peace in the Middle East.

"Morocco is playing a pioneering role in the Middle East peace process and is committed to putting everything to good use in the service of sincere peace in the region," Bourita underlined.

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