Salah Eddine Mezouar, MWN man of the year

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Fez – Salah Eddine Mezouar, Born December 11 in Meknes, was appointed minister of foreign affairs by King Mohammed VI on October 10^th, 2013.

Mr. Mezouar graduated from Fontainebleau university, France with a DES (diplôme d’études supérieures). He pursued his higher education at the university of Social Sciences in Grenoble, France where he held a DEA (diplôme d’études approfondies) with a major in Economics and later a Ph.d .

From 1986 to 1992, he worked as chief head of the administrative department at the National Office of Ports’ Exploitation. Mr. Mezouar worked in the private sector afterwards. He became chief executive officer of a private textile and clothing company. He, then, was elected director of the Moroccan association of textile and clothing and executive director of the Moroccan federation of textile, clothing and leather products under the general union of Moroccan entrepreneurs.

On June 8^th, 2004 Salaheddine Mezouar was appointed minister of Industry, Commerce and Economy rehabilitation. On October 15^th, 2007 he was appointed minister of Economy and Finance. On 23^rd January 2010, Salaheddine Mezouar managed to topple Mustapha El Mansouri in the National Rally and Independents party elections over the party’s presidency.

Mr. Mezouar brought about controversy on his managerial approaches to the country’s economy. The 2 billion Euro loan the international bank granted Morocco leaked ample ink on yellow as well as virtual papers. Mr. Mezouar, from his position as minister of finance, justified his decisions as a must take procedure. He explained that his action falls within Morocco’s governmental reform bundle: to steer the country clear of political and economic turbulence. He went further in saying “tough choices need to be taken to keep the country firmly on the path to growth”.

The Arab Fund for economic and social development would tarnish more Mezouar’s line of economy management as it gave the kingdom two loans worth a sum of 214 million Dollars. Many economy analysts blamed the minister of finance at the time for disregarding the high rate of interest on those loans.

Last year, Mustaph Ramid, the minister of Justice, ordered a judicial investigation after two whistleblowers from the finance ministry leaked documents accusing Mezouar and the head of the national treasury, Noureddine Bensouda, of awarding each other monthly bonuses of more than 70,000 dirhams ($8,300). This corruption scandal tainted the reputation of the National Rally and Independents party and its president Salaheddine Mezouar although the bonus gate was terminated without explanation. Unexpectedly, the two whistleblowers have been charged of divulging secret documents while Morocco’s state prosecutor mysteriously cleared the embroiled ex-minister of fianance. The state prosecutor even sent a letter to an anti-corruption NGO explaining that the bonuses were legal.

Last July, five ministers from the conservative Istiqlal party quit the coalition, arguing among other things that the senior partner in the govenment, the Islamist Justice and Development party (PJD), was economically rubbing salt in the wounds of the poor class by reducing subsidies too fast.

The National Rally of Independents, known by its French acronym RNI, is a party of liberals seen as close to the palace and has the third-largest number of seats in parliament after the PJD and Istiqlal. But the RNI was a controversial choice for Benkirane because its leader is but the former finance minister Salaheddine Mezouar. After marathonic rounds of talks with the RNI party which took a substantial span of time, the strong wings of the leading dove of the RNI party, Mr. Mezouar, managed to put out the sparkling light of the foreign affairs lamp, Mr. Saadeddine El othmani. Salaheddine Mezouar substituted the wiseman, Mr. El Othmani in the second formation of the government.

Salaheddine Mezouar seems to have chosen the right Trojan horse to prove wrong the bloating voices against his nomination. On November 14th 2013, the Kingdom of Morocco hosted the 2nd Regional Ministerial Conference on Border Security, co-presided by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Mr Salaheddine Mezouar and the Interior Minister, Mr Mohamed Hassad. On December 17th, The 11th meeting of the EU-Moroccan Association Council which was held in Brussels confirmed the positive dynamics of bilateral relations and heralds a new era in their partnership, said a statement by the EU Council. The Association Council also expressed satisfaction with the signing by Morocco and the conclusion of the Fisheries Agreement on November 18, 2013, and the progress of the negotiations of the deep and comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (DCFTA).

So far, Mr. Mezouar seems not to be playing it by the ear as many of his opponents allegedly say. His charismatic presence on the political arena forces the mind to see him as a phoenix resurrecting from ashes rather than a helpless dove, the symbol of RNI. After all, no dove has ever resisted fire.