Reporters Without Borders draws US attention to jailed journalists

Reporters Without Borders called today on US secretary of state Colin Powell to persuade Morocco's King Mohammed VI to free two imprisoned journalists (and three others threatened with jail) when he meets him during an official visit to the North African country on 2 December. "The United States regularly stresses its attachment to press freedom, so we ask you to make full respect for it a priority in your talks with the king and to make US economic aid conditional on it," said the press freedom organisation's secretary-general, Robert Ménard. Two journalists are currently in prison - Ali Lmrabet (since 21 May) and Mohammed el-Hourd (since 13 June). Three others - Moustapha Kechnini, Abdelaziz Jallouli and Miloud Trigui - have been given prison sentences (of between 18 months and two years) but are still free pending appeals. President George Bush called on 7 November for the democratisation of governments in the Middle East and said Morocco had made significant progress in this. But press freedom is the key to democracy and Morocco, a strong US regional ally, gets much-needed economic aid from the US, which said on 28 October it would double its non-military aid to the country next year from the present $40 million or so.