Morocco Calls For Immediate Action By Islamic States To Protect Mali’s Heritage

“The Kingdom of Morocco is following with concern the serious developments taking place in the brotherly country of Mali and which caused the willful destruction of historical, cultural and religious sites in the old city of Timbuktu,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement here over the weekend.It added that Morocco deemed that such acts undermined the cultural and civilisational heritage of the Malian people and the sites which had been placed in 1988 on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage List. It said that in view of the interest which Morocco’s King Mohammed VI takes in the Malian people’s religious and civilisational heritage, “Morocco is urging Islamic States and the international community to take an immediate and joint action to protect the rich Malian heritage which is a part of the Islamic and humanitarian heritage and mirrors the centuries-old civilizations that mark the history of the whole region”.”Morocco draws attention to the gravity of the security situation prevailing in the Sahel-Saharan region and to its impact on peace and stability in the region, which requires a decisive action and strong cooperation regionally and internationally,” the statement said.– BERNAMA-NNN-MAP