Morocco's government accedes to public's demands Morocco's government has agreed to raise public sector salaries and the minimum wage as growing demands by the population have threatened the rule of the Arab world's longest-serving dynasty. According to Moroccan state television, on Tuesday Prime Minister Abbas Al Fassi signed a draft agreement on salaries with unions. Public sector employees would get an $80 per month increase as of May 1. The agreement comes as King Mohammed's government is trying to prevent the spreading to Morocco of the unrest that has roiled other North African countries. Thousands of Moroccans have been marching peacefully for three days in a row to demand reforms. Crowds demanding political reform gathered in several towns from Tangiers to Marrakesh and in the capital Rabat. In March the king announced constitutional reforms that reduce the power of the monarchy in an effort to mollify government critics. Land border between Algeria and Morocco will reopen “sooner or later” The land border between Morocco and Algeria closed seventeen years ago, will be reopened “sooner or later”, said in Rabat Monday an Algerian minister during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen the food safety between the two countries. “As stated two days ago by our Minister of Foreign Affairs, it will happen (to reopen the land border) sooner or later,” said Rachid Benaissa, Algerian Minister of Agriculture during a visit to Morocco. “We are neighbors and brothers and we work for the strengthening of relations” between the two countries, he added about the Moroccan-Algerian land border, closed since 1994. A document providing for cooperation in five years “to ensure food security” between Morocco and Algeria was signed in Rabat on the same day by the Algerian minister and his Moroccan counterpart Abdelaziz Akhanouch. According to this document, the two countries plan to strengthen their cooperation in scientific research, production and plant breeding and the fight against desertification. “The signing of this memorandum demonstrates our shared desire to develop our cooperation and partnership in agriculture and to improve food security,” told reporters Rachid Benaissa. For three months, Morocco and Algeria have exchanged visits of ministers which augurs well for a gradual warming of political relations in particular because of the frozen conflict in Western Sahara. Tunisia Revises Voting Ban on Former Ruling Party Tunisia's interim prime minister has announced a revised plan that will bar officials who served in the former ruling party from running or voting in July elections, after a broader ban drew protests. Prime Minister Beji Caid Essebsi announced the plan on Tuesday. It would prevent the senior members of the now dissolved RCD (Rally for Constitutional Democracy) party from taking part in the July 24 polling if they served in the party within the past decade. Earlier this month, hundreds of supporters of ousted President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali's RCD party protested against a plan that would have barred officials who served at any point during Ben Ali's 23-year rule from voting. Former RCD members who took part in the protests argued the measure was unfair because they were all Tunisians. Chavez says Libya officials discuss peace options A delegation of Libyan officials is in Venezuela to discuss possible peaceful solutions to the war in the North African country, Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez said on Tuesday. A vocal opponent of military action by Western governments, Chavez is also a close ally of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and has proposed talks between rebels and the government. “Who gave them the right to do this, it's crazy,” Chavez said of NATO military strikes. “Because they don't like the leader Gaddafi, because they want to take Libya's oil and water … they are chucking bombs everywhere.” “We are dedicated to finding a political solution to the drama being lived by the Libyan people. A delegation sent by Gaddafi has arrived in Venezuela and we are seeking a peaceful outcome,” Chavez said during a speech to workers. He did not give details of which officials traveled with the delegation. S. Sudan: Senior WFP official killed in Jonglei state Unknown assailants on Thursday shot dead a senior from the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) official in Jonglei state, raising more fears of escalating insecurity in South Sudan ahead of its independence declaration due in July. Santino Pigga Wani, who worked as WFP's senior programme assistant was ambushed by his attackers in Duk County of Jonglei state, while on a mission with members of the organization's cooperating partner, Joint Aid Management (JAM). “It is with profound sadness that the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) today confirmed the death of one of its staff members in a fatal attack in Southern Sudan,” a statement on WFP's website said. Further, Valerie Amos, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator. condemned Santino's murder saying “These incidents demonstrate complete disregard for the safety and security of humanitarian personnel and I condemn them in the strongest possible terms”. She also voiced grave concern for the safety of two missing staff of the International Organization for Migration and called for their safe return. They went missing after being forced to drive into an area of active conflict on 19 April. BM
