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Latest update: 29/09/2011
- Morocco - Nicolas Sarkozy - trains
Sarkozy kicks off work on first African high-speed rail line
French President Nicolas Sarkozy landed in Morocco's northern city of Tangiers on Thursday to help kick off work on Africa's first high-speed rail line, which will link the port town of Casablanca to the country's southern capital Rabat.
By News Wires (text)
AFP - French President Nicolas Sarkozy arrived Thursday to kick off work on Africa's first high-speed rail line, in a bid to highlight France's role in delivering the project.
He was met at Tangiers airport by King Mohammed ahead of the joint launch of the 350-kilometer (219-mile) project linking the northern port city with Casablanca to the south via the capital Rabat.
Sarkozy, who was accompanied by a clutch of ministers and other officials, was to have talks with the king afterwards before returning to Paris.
The Tangiers-Casablanca line, scheduled to enter service in 2015, cutting the journey time from nearly six hours to just over two hours, will eventually be extended to Marrakesh and Agadir, Moroccan officials have said.
Rabat says it expects the first leg of the line to cost three billion euros ($4.1 billion), for which France has extended a 920-million-euro loan.
The balance is being funded largely by Arab states, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait.
In December, the French group Alstom inked a 400-million-euro deal to provide Morocco with 14 high speed trains, a contract seen as a boost for the company after it was snubbed by Eurostar, which had elected to buy trains from Germany's Siemens.
France is its former colony Morocco's top trading partner, absorbing 25 percent of exports.
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Comments (2)
another insult to africa
80% of africans live on or below the bar of poverty and all they needed is a tgv, that's an insult!!!! what africa really needs is an honest assistance from france and britain mainly to develop their economy. besides, sarkozy needed a nice fresh " bouffée d'oxygene". he knows he's going down in france ! or probably he's planning on retiring in morocco where everything is allowed,cheap,and unaccounted for . especially for rich and high-profile personalities ! an other break in the wall, pink floyded or something like that !!
Big projects like these, paid
Big projects like these, paid for by tax payers whose opinions remain unsolicited, are favorites of dictators and self-proclaimed monarchs. Morocco is a zombie economy but the King wants a shiny new toy so the real needs of the nation will have to wait a little longer.
Note to editors : Morocco has never been anyone's colony; the 75-year French occupation of some parts of Morocco was undersigned by the local Sultans as a "Protectorate".
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