Morocco’s King Urges the Elite to Serve the People

The King before addressing the parliament. MAP
The King before addressing the parliament. MAP
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Morocco’s King Urges the Elite to Serve the People

The King before addressing the parliament. MAP
The King before addressing the parliament. MAP

Moroccan King Mohammed VI has urged lawmakers to “compete in serving the interests of citizens and the nation’s causes.”

Addressing the parliament on the occasion of the opening of the first session of the “fourth legislative year of the tenth legislature” on Friday, the monarch said the elite, mainly the parliament, the government and political parties, had the responsibility to provide the conditions for the success for a new development model.

“The new stage starts from now and requires everyone’s involvement,” he said.

The king spoke about “shouldering responsibilities” and “honoring commitments” towards the country and its people.

While the political elite does have a duty of serving the country, the involvement of the public sector is just as crucial, he said.

He called on banks to play a greater social role in promoting development.

Morocco's banking and financial sector should make it easier for young entrepreneurs and small and medium sized enterprises to access loans, he said.

The King also urged the government, Central Bank and commercial banks to develop a program for that purpose, and decried the "limited financial support" for graduates and for creating small and medium-sized enterprises.



Syria and Neighbors Urge Israel to Stop Bombings

Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
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Syria and Neighbors Urge Israel to Stop Bombings

Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)
Israeli Merkava tanks in the buffer zone between Israel and Syria near the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 08 May 2025. (EPA)

The foreign ministers of Syria, Türkiye and Jordan, meeting Monday in Ankara, called on Israel to cease attacks on Syria and to withdraw troops from the country.

Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes on Syria since longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December, often targeting military sites and killing dozens of people.

Israeli officials have also described Syria's new authorities as extremists and claimed to defend the country's Druze minority with a recent spate of attacks.

Türkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a press conference with his Jordanian and Syrian counterparts that "Israel's expansionism poses a significant threat to the security, stability and future of Syria."

"This must come to an end. And we are on the same page about this. Syria needs to be supported to prevent terrorist organizations from settling in this region," Fidan added, noting that Syria shares a 900-kilometer (560-mile) border with Türkiye.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told the joint press conference that "our borders are constantly violated by Israeli attacks".

The Israeli strikes are "calculated escalations aimed at destabilizing Syria and dragging the region into a new cycle of conflict", Shaibani said, decrying "systematic violations of international law and explicit provocations".

He called on the international community to put Israel under "increased pressure" to halt the bombings.

Jordan's top diplomat, Ayman Safadi, said attacks on Syrian soil "will not bring security to Israel and will bring nothing to Syria except ruin and destruction".