Mohamed Benaissa
Encyclopedia
Mohamed Benaissa (born January 3, 1937 in Assilah, Morocco
) is a politician from Morocco who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs
of that country from 1999 to 2007.
Benaissa received a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Minnesota in 1963, which also awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2007. After studying at Columbia University, he went on to serve the United Nations and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization for approximately eleven years, first as press attache to the UN Moroccan Mission in New York (1965), then as information officer at the UN headquarters in New York and in Addis Ababa (1965–1967), regional information adviser for Africa at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Accra, Ghana (1967–1971), communications adviser for the FAO at Rome (1961–1974), director of the information division at the same (1974–1976), and finally as Assistant-Secretary General at the UN World Food Conference (1974–1975). Benaissa returned to Morocco to become Member of Parliament for the city of Assilah between 1977 and 1983 and then Mayor of Assilah in 1984, a position to which he has been reelected three times up to the present day (2010). Between 1977 and 1985 he served as chief editor to Al-Mithaq (Arabic) and Al-Maghrib (French) dailies, the newspapers of the Rassemblement National des Indépendants (RNI) party to which he then belonged.
Benaissa was the Minister of Culture from 1985 until 1992, and the Moroccan ambassador to the United States
from 1993 until 1999. In April 1999, King Hassan II
appointed Benaissa to the position of Foreign Minister just three months before his death. Benaissa remained in his position under Hassan's successor, King Mohammed VI
, until he was replaced by Deputy Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri in the government formed on October 15, 2007 under Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi
.
Benaissa is author (with Tahar Benjelloun) of "Grains de Peau" (1974) and of essays and papers on development and communications. In 1989 he was recipient of the Aga Khan award for architecture for the urban development project of the city of Assilah.
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
) is a politician from Morocco who was the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Foreign minister
A Minister of Foreign Affairs, or foreign minister, is a cabinet minister who helps form the foreign policy of a sovereign state. The foreign minister is often regarded as the most senior ministerial position below that of the head of government . It is often granted to the deputy prime minister in...
of that country from 1999 to 2007.
Benaissa received a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Minnesota in 1963, which also awarded him an honorary doctorate in 2007. After studying at Columbia University, he went on to serve the United Nations and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization for approximately eleven years, first as press attache to the UN Moroccan Mission in New York (1965), then as information officer at the UN headquarters in New York and in Addis Ababa (1965–1967), regional information adviser for Africa at the UN Food and Agriculture Organization in Accra, Ghana (1967–1971), communications adviser for the FAO at Rome (1961–1974), director of the information division at the same (1974–1976), and finally as Assistant-Secretary General at the UN World Food Conference (1974–1975). Benaissa returned to Morocco to become Member of Parliament for the city of Assilah between 1977 and 1983 and then Mayor of Assilah in 1984, a position to which he has been reelected three times up to the present day (2010). Between 1977 and 1985 he served as chief editor to Al-Mithaq (Arabic) and Al-Maghrib (French) dailies, the newspapers of the Rassemblement National des Indépendants (RNI) party to which he then belonged.
Benaissa was the Minister of Culture from 1985 until 1992, and the Moroccan ambassador to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from 1993 until 1999. In April 1999, King Hassan II
Hassan II of Morocco
King Hassan II l-ḥasan aṯ-ṯānī, dial. el-ḥasan ettâni); July 9, 1929 – July 23, 1999) was King of Morocco from 1961 until his death in 1999...
appointed Benaissa to the position of Foreign Minister just three months before his death. Benaissa remained in his position under Hassan's successor, King Mohammed VI
Mohammed VI of Morocco
Mohammed VI is the present King of Morocco and Amir al-Mu'minin . He ascended to the throne on 23 July 1999 upon the death of his father.-Education:...
, until he was replaced by Deputy Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri in the government formed on October 15, 2007 under Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi
Abbas El Fassi
Abbas El Fassi was the Prime Minister of Morocco from 19 September 2007 to 29 November 2011. El Fassi, a member of the Istiqlal Party, replaced independent Driss Jettou.El Fassi was born in Berkane, Morocco on September 18, 1940...
.
Benaissa is author (with Tahar Benjelloun) of "Grains de Peau" (1974) and of essays and papers on development and communications. In 1989 he was recipient of the Aga Khan award for architecture for the urban development project of the city of Assilah.