Morocco sees 5 pct 2011 growth despite wider unrest Morocco is still on target to grow five percent this year despite an expected impact on tourism and foreign investment from unrest in North Africa, the economic affairs minister said in an interview on Wednesday. “Of course the changes that are happening here in the region will have an impact in some areas,” said Nizar Baraka. “The first impact is in foreign investment, the second area is tourism.” Protest movements in Tunisia and Egypt have prompted their leaders to resign and sparked an armed conflict and international military intervention in Libya. Algerian PM: there is no political crisis Algeria's prime minister on Wednesday denied the country was in a political crisis sparked by unrest in the Arab world but acknowledged public anger over unemployment and a lack of housing. Algeria, one of the biggest suppliers of natural gas to the European Union, has seen a wave of strikes and protests over the past few months, though they have yet to coalesce into the kind of uprising that toppled leaders in Egypt and Tunisia. Pressure has been building from government opponents, and also from inside the ruling establishment, for far-reaching political reform to ease tensions and for new blood to be brought into the government. But Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia rejected comparisons between Algeria and other Arab countries convulsed by popular revolts. Read more here. Tunisia decries Israeli call for Jews to emigrate Tunisia's government on Monday condemned an effort by Israeli officials to entice Tunisian Jews to emigrate to Israel over concerns about possible economic hardship in the North African country. The “ill-disposed” call from Israeli officials amounted to meddling in Tunisia's domestic affairs, an effort to sow suspicion, and “an attempt by Israel to tarnish the post-revolutionary image of Tunisia,” wrote the Foreign Ministry in a statement. The ministry statement, relayed by official news agency TAP, came a day after Israel's cabinet said Prime Benjamin Netanyahu said Tunisian Jews were suffering “real distress” and pledged extra aid to help them immigrate. Libyan foreign minister Moussa Koussa defects to Britain Moussa Koussa flew into Britain yesterday and told officials “no longer willing” to serve the regime, in a significant blow to the dictator. The move was welcomed in Whitehall where fears have been growing that poorly organised Libyan rebels cannot defeat Gaddafi without being given arms or training on the ground. “We encourage those around Gaddafi to abandon him and embrace a better future for Libya that allows political transition and real reform that meets the aspirations of the Libyan people,” a Foreign Office spokesman said. David Cameron had earlier admitted that the Government was considering arming the rebels following talks in London with Libyan opposition leaders. Sudan Government Lays Roadmap to Follow-up Egypt Agreements Sudan Vice President of the Republic Ali Osman Mohammed Taha has directed for the drafting of a roadmap to ensure that agreements inked during the visit by the Egyptian Prime Minister, Dr. Essam Sharaf are followed through. Upon conclusion of the high profile visit that included a number of ministers, Taha pledged to follow up the results of the visit to be achieved on the ground in the shortest possible time through follow-ups by the ministers and the launching of projects. Sudan and Egypt had inked nine agreements, included a cooperation agreement between the Social Insurance Fund in Egypt and the Sudanese Chamber of Zakat and Development, and a framework agreement between the Cairo University and the Sudanese Ministry of Higher Educations on the return of the mission of Cairo University-Khartoum Branch to operate in Sudan. BM
