Following the Moroccan national team’s impressive showing in the FIFA 2022 World Cup, US President Joe Biden has added his name to a growing list of admirers who have expressed their public admiration for them.

In a tweet posted on Wednesday, Biden thanked Morocco’s head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, for inviting him to watch the semifinal match between Morocco and France.

This week, Akhannouch visited Washington for the US-Africa meeting.

Regardless of your allegiance, Biden said, “It was amazing to observe what this squad, Morocco, has been able to accomplish.”

The post also included a picture of Akhannouch and Biden enjoying the game among other African leaders, including Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari.

Over the course of the international tournament, the US has been among those who have admired Morocco’s Atlas Lions. Every time Morocco competed in a World Cup match, the US embassy in Rabat prepared to support the Atlas Lions.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken also shared a heartwarming post following Morocco’s qualification for the semi-finals last week.

The national team of Morocco was defeated by France 2-0 in the semifinals. But millions of football fans across the world were riveted by the Atlas Lions’ performance.

Morocco set a record by only allowing three goals during the international competition. Nayef Aguerd, a Moroccan football player, made a mistake and scored during the group stage match between Morocco and Canada.

Morocco’s national squad created news throughout the world for being the first Arab and African nation to get to the World Cup semifinals.

Morocco will now compete against Croatia on Saturday for third place after losing to France.

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Following US President Joe Biden’s declaration considering the Armenians Massacres carried out by the Ottoman Empire to be a genocide, Turkey’s presidential spokesman responded today Sunday that it is “simply outrageous” and that Turkey is to respond in different ways the forthcoming months.

While Joe Biden’s Saturday declaration has delighted Armenia and its diaspora, it has indeed cut ties with decades of balanced relations between the US and Turkey over tackling the issue of the killings of Armenians in 1915.

“There will be a reaction of different forms and kinds and degrees in coming days and months,” Ibrahim Kalin, President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman and adviser, told Reuters in an interview.

Ibrahim Kalin didn’t provide any clues on whether Turkey would ban US from accessing Incirlik air base in southern Turkey or not. This base has been used to fight the ISIS group in Syria and Iraq.

Biden’s declaration provoked Turkish officials who condemned such a statement on Saturday while Kalin reported that Erdogan is to address the matter at hand after a cabinet meeting on Monday. Kalin further added that “At a time and place that we consider to be appropriate, we will continue to respond to this very unfortunate unfair statement.”

Turkey admits that many Armenians who were living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces in World War One; however, it strongly denounces the killings to be orchestrated as a genocide.

“To reduce all that to one word and try to implicate that Turks were involved, our Ottoman ancestors were involved in genocidal acts is simply outrageous,” Kalin said. “It’s not supported by historical fact”.

The Turkish foreign ministry later summoned US Ambassador David Satterfield to express its displeasure, noting that Biden’s decision caused “a wound in relations that is difficult to repair,” the Anadolu state news agency reported.

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In the event that the new administration approves Trump’s policy in this field, it is expected that Morocco will receive the four drones.

Reuters reported yesterday, Thursday, that the administration of US President Joe Biden wants to keep a controversial policy from the era of his predecessor, Donald Trump, which led to the start of the sale of armed drones to countries whose human rights records are subject to scrutiny in the United States and other countries.

The same source indicated that Biden’s retention of the policy of former US President Trump, in the field of arms sales, especially drones, would lead to the approval of many deals which were suspended by the US Congress, with countries such as Morocco and the United Arab Emirates, Taiwan, and India.

The same source added that members of the US Congress had previously suspended the sale of four drones to Morocco, due to objections to the decision to recognize Morocco’ sovereignty over Sahara, a deal that Donald Trump had agreed to last December.

In the event that the new administration approves Trump’s policy in this field, it is expected that Morocco will acquire the four drones.

In the same context, Reuters previously quoted three well-informed American sources as saying that the United States is negotiating the sale of at least four large and advanced MQ-9B drones to Morocco, and that consultations with Congress about the potential deal are expected to take place during the coming days.

The MQ-9B aircraft developed by General Atomics has a range of more than 11,000 km, and can scan large areas of land and sea.

The US National Security Council official said that the decision to continue adopting Trump’s policy “provides the U.S. government the flexibility to review UAS (unmanned aerial systems) export requests”, while continuing to exercise that “national discretion in ways consistent with our MTCR commitments, as well as “our strong commitment to U.S. national security, human rights, nonproliferation, and other foreign policy objectives”.

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The American “Axios” website reported that President Joe Biden’s administration is “in no rush to reverse Trump’s move on Western Sahara.”

The author of the article stated that “there are no signs that the Biden administration intends to roll back the Trump administration’s recognition of Western Sahara as part of Morocco anytime soon.”

According to the website, Trump’s move before leaving the White House marks “a dramatic shift in U.S. policy”, adding that retreating from this would harm relations with Morocco, and may push Rabat to backtrack on its promise to resume diplomatic relations with Israel, which was reached as part of the deal with Trump.

However, Axios confirmed that it had obtained information from “current and former US officials” that Biden’s administration seems to be in no hurry to deal with this issue.

It is noteworthy that a bipartisan group of 27 members of the Senate, led by Jim Inhofe (Republican) and Patrick Leahy (Democrat), signed a letter last week urging Biden to withdraw US recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Sahara.

According to the letter, “The abrupt decision by the previous administration […] was short-sighted, undermined decades of consistent U.S. policy, and alienated a significant number of African nations.”

On a finale note, the signatories added, “We respectfully urge you to reverse this misguided decision and recommit the United States to the pursuit of a referendum on self-determination for the Sahrawi people of Western Sahara.”

The post Axios: No indicators of Biden’s Intention to Withdraw US Recognition of Moroccan Sovereignty over Sahara appeared first on Morocco Telegraph.

Washington D.C. – In another move to undo decisions the Trump administration had done in the past 4 years, President Joe R. Biden vowed that no family members of his are going to be involved in any government decisions.

He also added that the Biden administration is going to be run like the “Obama-Biden” administration, which brought a lot of relief to supporters who remember President Biden from his days as Obama’s VP.

“No one in our family and extended family is going to be involved in any government undertaking or foreign policy,” he added. “And nobody has an office in this place. They always have access to Pop and Nana but nobody (will have an office)” President Biden said.

Speculators say these comments could have come from President Biden after the problems his son, Hinter Biden, got into in Ukraine a few years ago.

Trump’s involvement in the Hunter Biden affair in Ukraine is what prompted the whole investigation led by Robert Muller in 2018 that led to Trump’s first impeachment.

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Russia Today News Agency reported that President-elect Joe Biden has appointed Wendy Sherman as Deputy Secretary of State in his government. Sherman will become the second ranking official after the new Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

Wendy Sherman was the chief of US negotiators team on the Iran nuclear deal where she has made great efforts to complete that agreement in 2015.
Currently,she is a senior consultant in “Albright Stonebridge group”, Linda Thomas Greenfield, the new ambassador of the US to the United Nations has worked for that same group.

Sherman is a long experienced diplomat who served as undersecretary of state for political affairs during Obama presidency (2013 -2017).

She was also the official spokesperson for US State Department between 2011 and 2013 during the term of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Later, Sherman worked as Assistant Secretary of State for European and Asian Affairs.

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Following Moncef Slaoui’s resignation from Operation Warp Speed, Biden picks former F.D.A. chief to lead federal vaccine efforts.

David Kessler is the one who is going to take the lead and become the top science official for the Operation Warp Speed as the Trump administration named it.

David Kessler contributed in the development and approval of AIDS drugs back in the 1990s.

Under the request of president-elect Joe Biden, David Kessler was summoned to take the lead in accelerating the progress, manufacture and distribution of Covid-19 vaccines.

David Kessler headed the F.D.A. back in George Bush and Bill Clinton administration and was appointed the key adviser to Biden on Covid-19 policy.

The new team aims at fulfilling Biden’s promise to Americans of getting 100 million Covid vaccine shots into the arms of the American people by his 100^th day in office.

Moncef Slaoui has fulfilled his promise of developing two separate Covid-19 vaccines which he has done in due time. However, he lagged behind in fulfilling Trump’s promise of vaccinating 20 million people by the end of 2020 and thus succeeded in vaccinating about 11 million people according to statistics by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

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Moncef Slaoui, Chief Advisor of Operation Warm Speed, to resign under the request of the new Biden administration according to undisclosed sources from CNBC.

It is not yet clear who is going to take the lead after Moncef Slaoui for the Biden team. Moncef’s contract includes 30 days’ notice prior to termination; thus, he is expected to leave by February 12^th.

On his part, Moncef Slaoui has expressed his previous will to step down after the clearance of two vaccines and two therapies for Covid-19 into the market which had been fulfilled last month with the clearance of Moderna’s vaccine.

Slaoui earned $1.000 for his position at Operation Warp Speed; however, he confirmed that he is planning to donate the amount to scientific research.

Moncef Slaoui from Moroccan origins has stirred a huge wave of appraisal within the Moroccan community. Moroccans all over the world felt proud when Moncef Slaoui took the lead in Operation Warp Speed and promised to find a vaccine for the Covid-19.

During his position at Operation Warp Speed, two vaccines, Pfizer and Moderna, have been authorized in the U.S. with 95% efficacy in preventing disease.

Johnson & Johnson promised pivotal results on its vaccine which is offering the potential for just one dose instead. The vaccine is expected within a couple of weeks. This vaccine development is considered the fastest one in history.

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Washington D.C. – A number of officials who are serving in the Trump Administration announced their resignations after a mob of Trump-supporters stormed Capitol Hill on the afternoon of Wednesday 6th.

Some of these resignations came from people high up in the White House working for both President Donald J. Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.

The officials announced they will resign after President Donald J. Trump encouraged his supporters to go into the Capitol building, while also falsely claiming that the elections were fraudulent.

The following is a list of all Trump administration officials who announced their resignation:

Social Secretary to the First Lady – Rickie Niceta

Rickie Niceta was one of the people who helped organize Mr. Trump’s inauguration back in 2017, and has since been chosen by First Lady Melania Trump to serve as her Social Secretary.

Acting Chairman of the White House Council of Economic Advisors – Tyler Godspeed

Mr. Godspeed had the following to say when he announced his resignation on Thursday, 1 day after the mob stormed the Capitol building: “The events of yesterday made my position no longer tenable”. 

Special Envoy to Northern Ireland and Former Acting Chief of Staff – Mick Mulvaney

The series of resignations reached Europe when Mr. Mulvaney contacted U.S. Secretary of State Mr. Mike Pompeo and told him “I can’t do it. I can’t stay”. Mr. Mulvaney says he made those remarks after he watched President Trump encourage mobsters to go into the Capitol building.

A Deputy White House Press Secretary – Sarah Matthews

When Ms. Matthews submitted her resignation on Wednesday, she said that she was “deeply disturbed” by what she saw on that day.

Chief of Staff to Melania Trump – Stephanie Grisham

Working for Trump since his 2016 Presidential Campaign, Ms. Grisham is one of the longest-serving people in his administration. After serving as the White House Press Secretary, she moved to serving as Melania Trump’s Chief of Staff until she submitted her resignation on Wednesday after the events that took place in Washington D.C.

Deputy National Security Adviser – Matthew Pottinger

Before serving as Deputy National Security Adviser in the Trump Administration starting 2019, Mr. Pottinger was the administration’s Asia director on the National Security Council. His resignation also came as a response to the fatal attack on Capitol Hill.

Secretary of Transportation – Elaine Chao 

After she announced her resignation on Twitter, Ms. Chao is now the first cabinet member to do so. She said that the unrest at the capitol “deeply troubled me in a way that I simply cannot set aside.”

It is worth noting that Ms. Chao is married to Mitch McConnell, Senator of Kentucky and the majority leader.

Senior Cybersecurity Official – John Costello

Mr. Costello said that the events that took place in Capitol Hill were his “breaking point”, and that he hoped for a “wake up call”.

Betsy Davos, Secretary of Education also resigned

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Law enforcement entities claim that the woman was shot by Capitol Police. Once shot and fell on the floor of the Capitol, police gathered around her trying to save her while calling for help, rioters all gathered around the female filming and shouting. A tragic scene displaying the female with blood pouring out of her mouth while she lies unconscious on the floor.

“One adult female and two adult males appear to have suffered from separate medical emergencies, which resulted in their deaths. Any loss of life in the District is tragic and our thoughts are with anyone impacted by their loss,” Contee said at a news conference Wednesday night.

On his part, US President, Joe Biden has clearly expressed on Twitter that the scenes of chaos at the Capitol do not represent who Americans are and that what happened represents just a small number of extremists dedicated to lawlessness. He further added that it is not dissent, it is disorder and that it borders on sedition and it must end now.

He further called on President Trump to go on national television now to fulfill his oath and defend the Constitution by demanding an end to this siege.

On his part, former CIA director, John O. Brennan in his Tweet held Donald J. Trump responsible for the surreal act of sedition unfolding at the Capitol. He further added that Trump must be held accountable.

Trump has urged his supporters to finally “go home” hours after the riot erupted. He further addressed the rioters “I know your pain, I know you’re hurt. We had an election that was stolen from us. It was a landslide election and everyone knows it. Especially the other side. But you have to go home now. We have to have peace.”

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