 Message from
His Majesty King Mohamed VI
to the Plenipotentiary Conference
It was thanks to fortuitous timetabling that, on 18 October
2000, We met with Mr Yoshio Utsumi, Secretary-General of the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU), on the occasion of the inauguration of the
Casablanca Technopark. The Secretary-General drew Our attention to the
importance which he personally, together with the leading figures in the
telecommunication sector, attaches to the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference
(Marrakesh, 23 September to 18 October 2002). In particular, he drew Our
attention to the implications of the Conference for the restructuring of ITU and
for its strategy over the next four years, and hence for the future of the
telecommunication sector and the information and knowledge society worldwide.
We responded by expressing to him Our firm intention,
together with that of Our Government and Our people, to ensure that all the
necessary conditions are met and arrangements made for the success of this
important event. We also took the opportunity to pay tribute to ITU’s
pioneering role in world telecommunication development and in particular to the
work it does for the benefit of developing countries.
At the Minneapolis Plenipotentiary Conference held in the
United States in 1998, the Kingdom of Morocco presented itself as a candidate to
host the 16th Plenipotentiary Conference in Marrakesh. In so doing, we have
expressed Our country’s willingness to open up to world trade and become fully
integrated into the global economy, the aim being to achieve sustainable
development as the only path for improving the living conditions of the
underprivileged sectors of society, concern for which is constantly reflected in
the social policy of the State. There can be no questioning the fact that the
information and communication technologies sector constitutes one of the main
avenues for the success of that strategy, and that in recent years no other
sector has counted more in our development policy than this key sector.
The beautiful and historical city of Marrakesh, whose name
has been associated with the opening up of the world economy since the
establishment of the World Trade Organization in 1994, is proud to play host to
such a large number of delegates from all parts of the world and whose
participation will serve to enrich the work of your Conference. The people of
Morocco as a whole, characterized as they are by a spirit of hospitality and
friendliness, are happy to accord to their guests the most heartfelt welcome.
For Our part, and in Our capacity as the King of Morocco, we
should like to express Our welcome to all those participating in the work of the
Conference and visiting Our country, which is known for its tolerance and
openness to the cultures of the world. We would be all the happier if, during
your stay in Morocco, you were to discover its glorious history, its great
culture and its age-old traditions, the result of the intermingling of
civilizations and religions from the Orient, Africa and Andalusia over more than
14 centuries. This will make you, when you return to your respective countries,
the best ambassadors for Morocco.
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