09 November 2004
U.S. Welcomes Morocco's Bid to Host Forum for the Future
Forum to focus on economic, political reform in Mideast, North Africa
The United States welcomed Morocco's November 9 announcement that it will host the inaugural meeting of the Forum for the Future in Rabat December 11.
The Forum for the Future is an initiative conceived at the G8's Sea Island Summit, designed to foster closer cooperation between the G8 nations -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States -- and the countries of the broader Middle East and North Africa.
The Forum will bring together government, business and social leaders from each of the countries to discuss programs aimed at creating greater freedom, democracy and prosperity in the Middle East and North Africa region.
Following is the text of the State Department's statement:
(begin text)
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Office of the Spokesman
November 9, 2004
STATEMENT BY ADAM ERELI, DEPUTY SPOKESMAN
US Welcomes Announcement of First 'Forum for the Future' in Rabat, Morocco
Today, the Kingdom of Morocco announced that it will hold the inaugural meeting of the "Forum for the Future" in Rabat, on December 11, 2004. The Forum for the Future is the centerpiece of the "Partnership for Progress and a Common Future with the Region of the Broader Middle East and North Africa" (BMENA), launched by President Bush and the leaders of the G-8, along with leaders of seven countries from the region, at the G-8 Sea Island Summit of 2004. The government of the United States welcomes the Moroccan government's announcement of the first Forum for the Future, and looks forward to co-chairing this meeting of the Forum and participating in future Forums.
The announcement by the Kingdom of Morocco can be found at www.maec.gov.ma/future.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
