Morocco, UK Hold Talks to Boost Ties

British Envoy for the UK-African Investment Summit 2024 (UK-AIS), Alastair McPhail holding talks in Rabat with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (Morocco’s Foreign Ministry)
British Envoy for the UK-African Investment Summit 2024 (UK-AIS), Alastair McPhail holding talks in Rabat with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (Morocco’s Foreign Ministry)
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Morocco, UK Hold Talks to Boost Ties

British Envoy for the UK-African Investment Summit 2024 (UK-AIS), Alastair McPhail holding talks in Rabat with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (Morocco’s Foreign Ministry)
British Envoy for the UK-African Investment Summit 2024 (UK-AIS), Alastair McPhail holding talks in Rabat with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita (Morocco’s Foreign Ministry)

The British Envoy for the UK-African Investment Summit 2024 (UK-AIS), Alastair McPhail, expressed on Wednesday eagerness to building a modern partnership of mutual benefit with Morocco.

“We look forward to building a modern partnership of mutual benefit based on respect with Morocco and others,” McPhail told the press after his talks with Morocco’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.

This comes ahead of the UK-African Investment Summit, scheduled to take place in London on April 23-24.

UK-AIS 2024 will bring together political and business leaders from the UK and invited countries, as well as representatives of international and regional organizations, building on the results of the 2020 summit and virtual conferences in 2021 and 2022.

The two countries have decades-old trade and economic ties. Also, thousands of British tourists visit Morocco every year.



Syria's New Rulers Name Foreign Minister

Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. (SANA)
Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. (SANA)
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Syria's New Rulers Name Foreign Minister

Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. (SANA)
Asaad Hassan al-Shibani. (SANA)

Syria's new rulers have appointed a foreign minister, the official Syrian news agency (SANA) said on Saturday, as they seek to build international relations two weeks after Bashar al-Assad was ousted.

The ruling General Command named Asaad Hassan al-Shibani as foreign minister, SANA said. A source in the new administration told Reuters that this step “comes in response to the aspirations of the Syrian people to establish international relations that bring peace and stability.”

The opposition Syria TV said Shibani, formerly known as Zeid al-Attar, was in charge of foreign affairs when the Al-Nusra Front transformed into the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group.

Syrian media said that until 2024, he has been residing in Türkiye. Along with HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa, he helped form the al-Nusra Front.

Shibani assumed several pseudonyms, including Nassim, Abu Aisha, Abu Ammar al-Shami and Hussam al-Shafei.

Born in 1987, he hails from the Hasakeh countryside. He was studying translation before his family moved to Damascus where he earned a degree in English Literature from Damascus University. He earned a master's degree in political science and foreign relations in Türkiye in 2022.

Syria's de facto ruler Sharaa has actively engaged with foreign delegations since assuming power, including hosting the UN's Syria envoy and senior US diplomats.

Sharaa has signaled a willingness to engage diplomatically with international envoys, saying his primary focus is on reconstruction and achieving economic development. He has said he is not interested in engaging in any new conflicts.

The United States, other Western powers and many Syrians were glad to see groups led by the HTS topple Assad.