Marrakech meeting to curb weapons of mass destruction
A political meeting was held to promote the Proliferation Security initiative to combat the spread of weapons of mass destruction in Africa, reports a number of Moroccan news agencies.
On the 31st of January, ministers and delegations from countries of the African Continent and regional partners and allies gathered together in Marakech to encourage African countries to support the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI).
The three-day meeting was co-chaired by Redouane Houssaini, the Director of the UN and International Organisations at the Moroccan Foreign Ministry and Bonnie Jenkins, US Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs.
The PSI aims to create alliances among countries to use their resources to create various legal, diplomatic and military instruments. These efforts were designed to prevent the transportation of hazardous cargo with weapons of mass destruction via road, air or sea routes.
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The initiative was launched in 2003 and brings together more than 100 countries. The PSI adopted the “Paris Principles”, known as the “Interdiction Principles”, meaning it is a flexible, voluntary framework for multilateral international cooperation.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, said in a video message that Morocco has always defended multilateral cooperation as the most appropriate framework for combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction after after joining the initiative in 2008.
He continued saying that Morocco aims to continue its partnership with the US and African countries to integrate the PSI into the African security landscape. He stressed that the meeting in Marrakesh was an excellent opportunity to enhance the involvement of African countries in the initiative through the implementation of three priority actions.
The third priority action is to identify and share “African lessons” drawn from the best practices within the initiative to ensure that the voice of African countries is heard within the PSI.
Bourita applauded the increasing commitment of African nations within the PSI and urged African countries to capitalise on this momentum to create effective mechanisms.
This includes organising workshops and operational exercises led by African military personnel and civilian experts and recognising that Africa’s security is interconnected with the global security context.
Ashwarq al Awsat/ Agencies
