Mr. Chairman,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

First of all, I would like to seize this opportunity to congratulate Mr. Antero Flores Araoz for his election as thenewPresident of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism. On behalf of the Kingdom of Morocco, I would like also to convey our best wishes for the success ofthe endeavours of this important committee.

Mr. Chairman

Morocco is committed to face the challenge posed by terrorism as it is of our primary interest to fight against it jointly with the international community. This said, I would like to highlightthe measures that Morocco has taken to prevent the forging of official documents.

  1. The Biometric Identity Card

1 – Legal aspects

  • Applicants for the national identity card, as from April 2008, will be given a biometric identitycard. This electronic identity card certifies the identity of the holder, by assigning a unique identity number per person.
  • According to the provisions of Article 10 of Law 35-06 published in the official bulletin No. 5584, dated December 6th/07, the electronic identity card introduces a warranty for the respect of the citizen’s rights and liberty.
  • Apart from the relevant employees of government departments designatedby the lawand the cardholder himself, any person, who accesses the data contained in the bar code and the microchip,shall be subject to the sanctions provided for in paragraph 1 of Article 607-3 of the Penal Code, concerning the breach of the data base system.
  • In accordance with this new law, the obligation to have this new identity document applies to any Moroccan citizen aged 18 years old, and is optional for those who are between 16and 18 years old.
  • Article 7 of the same law states that "the electronic national identity card exempts from the issuance of a birth certificate, certificate of residence, certificate of life and certificate of nationality in all procedures for which these documents must be provided"
  • The sanctions related to the identification document are new elements introduced in this new law. Article 9 stipulates that in the case of the non-respect of the rules, a fine shall be imposed. Indeed, any person who is of a legal agemust apply for an electronic identity card. In case hefails to do so, he shall be subject to a fine of about $40.

Furthermore, any holder of the electronic identity card, who fails to submit it at the requestof the relevant authorities,shall pay a fine of about $15.

As far as the renewal of this identity card is concerned, the biometric ID card has to be renewed in case of a change of:

  • First or last name,
  • Date or place of birth,
  • Civil Registration Number,
  • Status affiliation,
  • Residency.

The ID card must also be renewed in case of:

  • Loss,
  • Theft,
  • Alteration,
  • Expiration of the period of validity.

Accordingly, anyone, to whom any of these conditions apply, but fails to ask for a renewal of the ID card,shall pay a fine of about $28.

2 - Technological aspects

  • For security measures, these cards are equipped with an invisible electronic module and a barcode. Only relevant staff of the National SecurityDepartment along with officials and other employees of different government departments and agencies, designated by a regulatory text, can decrypt the barcode.
  • This new ID will be the world's first ID system of its kind (delivering 22 million biometric ID cards) to be based on contactless smart card technologies.This type of technology shall ensure maximum document security.

This advanced ID system includes both personal details and biometric data, and meets new security requirements concerning travel documents and control of migration flows.

  • The overall cost of issuing the new cards is about 150 million US dollars. The renewal of the 22 million identity cards will take over four years and each ID shall be valid for 10 years.
  • The issuance of these biometric ID cards should be done within 24 hours in the Capital, Rabat,and 48 to 72 hours inall other Moroccan cities. Two cards production centers and 120 information collectcentres are being established for this purpose.

Mr. Chairman,

The Moroccan government has taken other preventive measures, including:

A Contactless Smart Card for Moroccan Driver’s Licenses

  • 12 million secure driver’s licenses and vehicle registration cards will also be produced.
  • Since August 2007, the Ministry of Equipment and Transportationof Morocco has been using a company’s expertise to produce secure, and therefore unfalsifiable, driver’s licenses and vehicle registration cards. As these documents become widely distributed, they should help to bring down significantly the cases of road safety violation and prevent frauds.
  1. Electronic passport

Studies concerning the Moroccan e-passport have been conducted. The Moroccan e-passport will be connected to the biometric Moroccan ID by the end of this year.

Finally, allow me Mr. Chairman to emphasize that you can rely on Morocco as a partner and an ally in this challenging task of fighting terrorism.

Indeed, Morocco is convinced that:

  • Fighting terrorism is a challenge that we must face together.
  • Reinforcing the cooperation against terrorism among countries,through exchanging and strengthening judicial and police collaboration, is crucial for the success of this common fight.
  • This task is undoubtedly highly complicated and needs time to be accomplished. However, as we all know, there is always a way when there is a determined will devoted to servinga clear-sighted vision.

Thank you very much

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