Arab leaders pose for a family photo

Arab leaders pose for a family photo prior to the opening ceremony of the Arab summit in Damascus on March 29, 2008.

Front row (L-R) Morocco's Prince Moulay Rachid, Comoros Islands President Ahmed Abdullah Sambi, Palestinain president Mahmud Abbas, Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Sudanese President Omar al-Beshir, Libyan Leader Moamer al-Kadhafi, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, United Arab Emirates's President Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahayan, Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Ahmed al-Sabah and Mauritanian President Sidi Mohamed Ould Cheikh Abdallhi.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid kicks off state visit to Syria

Damascus, March 29, 2008 – His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid arrived in Syria's capital Damascus Saturday early morning, kicking off his several-day state visit to the Middle-East country, where He will also participate in the 20th Arab Summit scheduled to be held from March 29-30.

His Royal Highness was received at Damascus International Airport by vice President Farouk al-Shara, the Moroccan Foreign Minister, the Syrian ambassador in Rabat and the Moroccan ambassador in Damascus and the Moroccan Delegate to the Arab League.

Following a short rest at the VIP Lounge, His Royal Highness headed for his official residence, reported Syria’s news agency SANA.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid graces horse race breeding his name

Casablanca, March 28, 2008 -- To position the Kingdom of Morocco as the leading tourism destination, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid patronized Friday horse racing challenge that kicks start racing season in the Kingdom with the inaugural race of the HRH Prince Moulay Rachid Grand Prix in Casablanca.

Continuing to pursue initiatives that facilitate improvements and enhance tourism business and product development, His Royal Highness works with partner organizations to increase participation and to develop effective programs to promote the tourism industry and provide recognition of excellence for people and organizations.

His Royal Highness, who witnessed horse racing challenge, expressed thanks to the organizers' keen efforts and excellent planning of the prestigious event that will further increase the Kingdom’s profile.

The HRH Prince Moulay Rachid Grand Prix, endured by His Royal Highness’ patronage, marked a new chapter in the development of the country that can help to attract investment to broaden the economic base and create new jobs for people.

The event then continued with His Royal Highness, who looked radiating charm in a tailor made suit, giving away the trophy to the winners.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid puts forward sophisticated magnitude to safeguard sport tourism industry

Rabat, March 28, 2008 -- Aligned with His efforts to back the sport tourism industry in Morocco, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid highlighted the Grand Prix of Morocco 2008 in Universal Trench organized by of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Hunting Shotgun Shooting.

The competition takes place at the shooting club “Les Chênes" de tir et loisir” in Rabat from March 28 to 30 this year.

His Royal Highness, President of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Hunting Shotgun Shooting, highlighted the ability of Morocco's sport tourism industry to increase competitiveness and improve measurement of tourism’s performance and impact on the economy.

Seeing the competitiveness of country’s travel and tourism industry, His Royal Highness continues to streamline the implementation of policies and programs that take into consideration national tourism economic benefits.

To back Grand Prix of Morocco 2008 in entering a phase of phenomenal growth, His Royal Highness has lent His eminent name to the trophy that is carrying prize money of 100,000 DH.

In addition, the premises of this modern shooting club in Rabat meet high technical standards and requirements for organizing competitions on an international level, which will satisfied the quality of targets as well as excellent hospitality, experience the unique and unforgettable atmosphere and witness beautiful sport achievements.

The Universal Trench is also referred to as Five Trap. Five traps are installed in a trench in front of the shooting stands, all set at different angles, elevations and speeds, and upon the call of 'Pull' by the shooter any one of the five machines, selected at random, will be released. Horizontal angles can vary from 0 degrees to 45 degrees either side of the centre line and target distance is between 60 and 70 metres. Elevation can vary, as in other trap disciplines between 1.5 and 3.5 metres above ground level.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid bolsters military strength in Mediterranean

Ksar Sghir, March 24, 2008- His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid continues to push for naval development as He formally launched the project of military navy port on the country's Mediterranean coast in the town of Ksar Sghir, which will be the first of its kind in the Kingdom.

During his visit, His Royal Highness toured the construction zone, discussed various aspects of the operation with senior executives and greeted the project team.

His Royal Highness, the Colonel with the Royal Moroccan Navy, also expressed keenness to promote and develop the naval sector in Morocco, stemmed from His commitments.

Navy holds a special place in the Prince's soul and needs a shield as it can play very important role in the development of Morocco.

The facility serving as a homeport for the Moroccan Royal Marine ships patrolling the Gibraltar Strait and Mediterranean region will be built at a total cost of 1.39 billion Moroccan Dirhams (187 million U.S. dollars) and is scheduled to be completed by 2010.

Navy blue HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid hosted luncheon in honour of FAR

Ksar Sghir, March 24, 2008 – His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid hosted Monday a luncheon in honour of Forces Armées Royales (FAR) in Ksar Sghir, Morocco.

Astonishing looking 37-year-old prince in the navy gala-uniform of the marines, who has completed military navy training in July 1994, is the Colonel with the Royal Moroccan Navy.

During the luncheon program, His Royal Highness reiterated his persisted effective support to the Royal Armed Forces and expressed gratitude to the brave men and women in uniform serving their nation.

The luncheon took place in Ksar Sghir, 40km from Tangier. Also present during the luncheon were the Prime Minister and senior officers of the General Staff FAR, together with several other officials from country.

Related article: http://kingofhearts.canalblog.com/archives/2007/05/15/4961146.html#comments

Happy Easter!

Rabat, March 23, 2008 -- To glorify His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid’s philosophy and vision for interfaith harmony and unity, We extend warmest greetings to all of you who celebrate Easter.

Easter is the holiest day of the year for Christians. It is at the end of Lent, the culmination of a succession of religious events that mark the final days of Jesus when he entered Jerusalem, washed the feet of his 12 apostles during the Last Supper, was crucified and then resurrected.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid marks Prophet's B-Day

Fez, March 19, 2007 -- HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid performed Wednesday night the mass prayer on the occasion of birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.

On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Muslims around the world celebrated the Prophet Muhammad’s birthday.

The way individual Muslims acknowledge this occasion varies from fasting the day, to reading about his life and reflecting on his teachings, to reading the Q’uran, the Muslim Holy Book that was revealed to Muhammad more than 1,400 years ago.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid makes more efforts to accommodate international politics

Rabat, March 10, 2008 -- Continuing His efforts and active advocacy to expand the dialogues with international leaders, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid met Monday with Vice President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

His Royal Highness was a picture of fitting elegance and grace in a stunning dark custom-made suits and vine-red tie, which work beautifully together, as He accorded an official welcome ceremony.

His Royal Highness and the Sheikh then preceded the meeting where two sides addressed aspects of bilateral cooperation between the two countries and where both sides shared the intention to further promote dialogues at all levels.

His Royal Highness has taken on a new challenge associated with the sovereignty, stability and sustainable development of the state of Morocco while seeking the country’s global influence.

In view of this, His Royal Highness has also expressed a keen interest in expanding and strengthening Morocco’s diplomatic relationships with many countries.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid explores ways to further strengthen bilateral relations

Rabat, March 3, 2008 – His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid met Monday with Kuwaiti Amir His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah in Rabat.

Elegance good-looking a 37-year-old Prince together with Kuwaitis Amir inspected the guard of honour.

During the meeting, parties dwelled on discussing multiple questions of bilateral relations between their countries and other regional and global issues of common concern, and reached consensus on a broad range of topics in a warm and friendly atmosphere.

Morocco’s most recognized and accomplished diplomat His Royal Highness attaches importance to developing relations with other States, making steady progress to further strengthen the nations' overall relationship of friendships, promote the in-depth development and cooperation in an overall ways.

Regarding that His Royal Highness is lauded for his efforts to secure and boost friendly relations, bilateral trade and economic ties, which play important role in stirring up relations between the Kingdom and other countries.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid consistently attracts visitors, encourages tourism

Tangier – Morocco, February 21, 2008 – Continuing to attract major competitions with a high international quality to the Kingdom of Morocco, His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid is currently concentrating on the implementation of the upcoming FEDECAT World Championship, which is scheduled to take place on March 11th to 16th this year in Tangier’s prestigious club ‘le Diamand Vert’.

His Royal Highness has been working tirelessly to organize the Hassan 2 Trophy, FEDECAT Grand Prize and African Shooting Championship, the fantastic shooting events that provide a great opportunity to place the whole region in the spotlight.

His Royal Highness who is the President of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Hunting Shotgun Shooting has been an untiring campaigner for the traditional sport of shooting, giving honored prominence and funding on international and national levels. Therefore, Morocco was unanimously selected as the venue for the Championship, chosen among more than 500 proposed complexes around the world to organize this event.

Winners of the championship will receive 120,000 Euro.

With a range of activities designed to maximize the benefits of the Championship for tourism businesses, the event is expected to deliver a major boost to the local and regional economy.

His Royal Highness expressed progressive ambitions for developing sport as an excellent way of improving the image, economy and tourism potential of the kingdom and to encourage tourism product development that capitalize on the substantial economic benefits of major events such as this.

The organizers sought to ensure a fantastic experience during stay and encourage as many of those visitors as possible to return after the Championship. This unique event ensures Morocco’s benefits from the lasting legacy of the Championship, further showcasing the region as a leading destination for major sporting events.

The Championship also represents an opportunity to showcase the area to potential inward investors.

Nationally tailored ambitious plans reflect HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid’s vision to bolster several new developments

Competition program of the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam unveiled

Rabat – Morocco, February 17, 2008 – The Moroccan golf has shown encouraging progress over the past years under the wise leadership of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid who established the Kingdom of Morocco as one of the best golf countries in the world.

The visions of His Royal Highness has provided an inspiration for many who were looking to invest or work in the golf industry or learn from the ideas and best practices.

Highlighting the importance of building confidence and vital awareness for development of the culture of golf, the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam has ambitious growth plans for this year, which is a key to the golf swing in Morocco.

Based on the vision of His Royal Highness, during the past years the Royal Golf Dar Es Salam was able to achieve a number of milestones in the field of organizing and sponsoring events that support the golf players in particular and the society in general.

The Royal Golf Dar Es Salam offers a unique sport, social and economic opportunities for all involved in golf industry from around the region and world to network, share most excellent practices, reveal creative edge and underline award-winning work.

Competition program of the Royal Golf Dar es-Salaam includes upon invitation venues American school cup and Diplomatic Trophy, lucrative Jewelers Trophy and cross-cultural relationship Portuguese Cup and Italy Cup, among others.

His Royal Highness who gave a big boost to golf when he started competing in his early age has established Morocco as a force in golf and at the same time provided social and economic opportunities at a grass root and global levels through pioneering ideas.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid to map the "Road of the Heart" rally

Rabat – Morocco, February 15, 2008 – One of the finest events of its kind is setting the stage for the fifteenth year of the Morocco Classic Rally “Road of the Heart” presided over by His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid.

His Royal Highness' continuing efforts provide seed capital to encourage local investment, diversification and growth of economic feasibility.

From its humble beginning in 1993, Morocco Classic Rally, which is taking place from March 16th to 22nd 2008, gradually earned deserved place in the Morocco’s and international sporting annual events and is it a true reflection of Morocco's special place in the world motor racing.

The race divided into seven legs, which is reserved for cars built between 1930 and 1980, is run over a marvelously beautiful 2,240 km course with start from Rabat and cross the finishing line as always in Marrakech.

For the past seven years, the Morocco Classic Rally has organized an auction to support the Happy time (Heure joyeuse) charity association, which helps develop community projects in rural areas. Thanks to the generosity of driving participants and many corporate sponsors, this joint relationship has raised almost 3 million Dirhams to date.

Importantly, the smaller rural communities through which Morocco Classic Rally passes will see considerable direct economic benefit from the rally.

Furthermore, aim is to generate a great deal of economic and other benefits to a large number of businesses across the rural region, as well as significant business in the travel industry across Morocco.

The ongoing economic impact from the event will be far greater again.

HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid continuously supports and encourages women to excel in all fields

Casablanca, February 10, 2008 – — His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid underlined on Friday the need to support the advancement of women's issues in the media and raise their awareness about the production of literary materials.

On the sidelines of the inauguration of 14th edition of International Book Fair in Casablanca and during His tour of exhibition, His Royal Highness visited the Editions le Fennec kiosk, a Moroccan small publishing house dedicated to encourage writing for women, by women, on women.

His Royal Highness was briefed by Fennec’s delegation on cultural and social activities of the organization, as well as the challenges and problems facing the group.

His Royal Highness expressed his gratitude for sensitization of plan for writers and media advocacy programs related to women's issues.

Shedding more light on the encouragement to set support message of the advancement and empowerment of women, uplifting of their socio-legal status, dignity and protection, His Royal Highness uttered His allegiance to fulfill the existing gap in participation, representation and access to media of women.

Moroccan National Compak Sporting unleashes the passion of sport

Rabat- Morocco, February 11, 2008 – The weekend of passion marked the 2008 Moroccan National Compak Sporting, which was organized under the Royal presidency of His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid from February 8th to 10th 2008 at the ’LES CHENES DE TIR ET DE LOISIRS’ Club in Rabat.

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Moulay Rachid, President of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Hunting Shotgun Shooting, has once again produced a glorious national sports event, exhorting the youth to strive to build new Morocco.

The main aims of His Royal Highness are to raise and enhance the status and credibility of compak sporting sports, as well as actively build bridges between different national clubs.
His Royal Highness also seeks to promote and defend issues of freedom and autonomy of sports in Morocco.

The winner eared the Coupe de Monsieur le Gouverneur de Salé and cash prize of 100,000.00 DH.

Compak Sporting is highly specialized discipline of Sporting clays. It allows all the usual targets from English sporting to be combined into a competition utilizing only a very small area. There are five firing stations and the shooters change firing points after every sequence of targets throughout the 25 clays that makes up a round.

Related article: http://kingofhearts.canalblog.com/archives/2008/01/21/7647047.html#comments

KUNA: HRH Crown Prince Moulay Rachid praises Kuwait for their exemplary efforts

Casablanca – Morocco, February 8, 2008 -- On the periphery of his official inauguration of the 14th edition of the International Book Fair in Casablanca, the Crown Prince of Morocco, His Royal Highness Moulay Rachid paid a special visit to the wing of the Kuwaiti National Council for Culture, Arts and Literature, among others.

Crown Prince Moulay Rachid was warmly welcomed and greeted by the secretary-General Badr Al Rifai and Kuwaiti official delegation.

Accompanied by a number of dignitaries, the Kuwaiti officials then escorted the Crown Prince Moulay Rachid through the various sections and gave extensive explanations on the importance of Kuwaiti literature and publications and its role in the revitalization of cultural movement in the Arab world.

Crown Prince Moulay Rachid was visibly impressed as he toured the corridors and was inspecting the literature artwork.

Expressing His admiration for the publications and Kuwait’s involvement, Crown Prince Moulay Rachid said it carried a direct message of the significance and depth of historical and cultural relations between Morocco and Kuwait.

Crown Prince Moulay Rachid also noted in his remarks at the meeting the fact that the key indicators in deepness of these model relations is the involvement of Kuwait in this exhibition and its eagerness to participate in the project each year.

For their part, the secretary-General Badr Al Rifai applauded the value of the Moroccan readers and Moroccan market.

Crown Prince Moulay Rachid's visit championed the cause of this often-invisible emergent literacy practices, emphasizing the need for awareness and support of literacy movements.
Crown Prince Moulay Rachid is equally well known for His strong interest and leading role in culture and social interaction.

HRH Prince Moulay Rachid to set multicultural tone for the International Book Fair

Casablanca – Morocco, February 7, 2008 – As a part of mandate of promoting cross-cultural harmony, His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid, Heir Apparent to the Throne of Morocco, will chair the opening of International Book Fair in Casablanca dedicated to supporting for literacy programs and focus on other cultures.

A majority of the events have a multicultural tie this year, and with His Royal Highness honoring presence, the Book Fair is making a strong ground to the very campaign to promote, stimulate, expand and award books, authors and written word as well as culture and cultural heritage of literary manifestations.

His Royal Highness leading and inspiring role in advocacy for Alliances of Civilizations provides inspiring examples of social responsibility and peacemaking and constructive and committed dialogue amongst nations.

The highlights of the multicultural offerings include France as the guest of honor.
The International Book Fair will take place in Casablanca from February 8th to 17th 2008 and will be officially opened by His Royal Highness Prince Moulay Rachid on Friday February 8th at three o'clock.