RABAT - King Mohammed VI of Morocco announced Saturday the upcoming launch of a program to fight against poverty, in a speech to mark the 52nd anniversary of the revolution of the King and people, one of milestones in the fight for independence from Morocco in 1956. The program stressed the sovereign, is to "promote economic, social and cultural rights of citizens and the fight against social and regional disparities." In a first phase, beneficiaries will be 360 rural communes and 250 urban neighborhoods, among the poorest and most marginalized of the kingdom. A budget of one billion euro has been devoted to this program which spans the period from 2006 to 2010. Nearly 4 million Moroccans, on a total population of 30 million live in poverty, spending less of 8.86 dirhams (less than one euro) per day. The unemployment rate reached 11.1% during the second quarter 2005, while the growth rate of the Moroccan economy, which recorded an average of 4.2% over five years is not enough to meet the social deficits . The royal speech did not address the release on Thursday, with U.S. mediation, the last 404 Moroccan POWs held for more than 20 years by the Polisario Front. This movement competes with Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara. An official statement was "delighted" by the release while making the Polisario and Algeria, which supports responsible for this "late performance of an international obligation".
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