Abdellatif Filali (Arabic: عبد اللطيف الفيلالي; 26 January 1928 – 20 March 2009) was a Moroccan politician and diplomat who served as the eleventh Prime Minister of Morocco from 25 May 1994 to 4 February 1998.[2][3] He was the 11th prime minister of Morocco and served under King Hassan II.[4] Filali was known to have progressive views.[5]

Abdellatif Filali
عبد اللطيف الفيلالي
Filali in 1990
Prime Minister of Morocco
In office
25 May 1994 – 4 February 1998
MonarchHassan II
Preceded byMohammed Karim Lamrani
Succeeded byAbderrahmane Youssoufi
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
11 April 1985 – 8 April 1999
MonarchHassan II
Prime MinisterMohammed Karim Lamrani
Azzeddine Laraki
Mohammed Karim Lamrani
Himself
Abderrahmane Youssoufi
Preceded byAbdelouahed Belkeziz
Succeeded byMohamed Benaissa
Personal details
Born(1928-01-26)26 January 1928
Beni Mellal, Morocco[1]
Died20 March 2009(2009-03-20) (aged 81)
Clamart, France
Political partyIndependent
SpouseAnne Belghmi Zwobada
Children2

Early life

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Filali was born in January 26, 1929 in Beni Mellal, Morocco.[1][6] The son of a judge, Abdellatif Filali had studied law in France before opting for a diplomatic career.[7]

Career

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He began his diplomatic career at the United Nations as Chargé d'affaires of Morocco in 1958 and 1959 in New York, then in France from 1961 to 1962. On 17 June 1968, he became Minister of Higher Education in the Mohamed Benhima government.[8]

On 4 August 1971, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Mohammed Karim Lamrani government, being reappointed to the same position on 12 April 1972.[9]

In 1973, he was appointed Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco in Madrid, he notably negotiated the withdrawal of Spanish military troops from Western Sahara.

Filali served as the Morocco's ambassador to several significant countries, including Spain, Algeria, the United Kingdom and China.[10][11][12] Then he served as Prime Minister of Morocco from 25 May 1994 to 4 February 1998.[13] He also served as foreign minister of Morocco from 1985 to 1999.[13] In addition, he held the minister of state portfolio during his term as prime minister.[10] He initiated TV broadcasts in the Moroccan Berber dialects.[14] Filali was replaced by Abderrahmane Youssoufi as prime minister in 1998.[10]

Personal life and death

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Filali was married to a French woman, Anne Belghmi Zwobada, putative daughter of Jacques Zwobada,[15] with whom he had a daughter, Yasmina, and a son, Fuad Filali; the ex-CEO of Morocco's largest private company ONA Group and the former husband of Lalla Meryem,[16] who is the daughter of late Hassan II and elder sister of Mohammed VI.[17] After retiring politics, Filali permanently settled in his wife's house in France and wrote a reference book about foreign relations of Morocco at the second half of past century.[18][19]

Filali died on 20 March 2009 in the Paris suburb of Clamart due to a heart failure.[10] He was 81.[20][21]

Honours

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References

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  1. ^ a b Tarik QATTAB. "Abdellatif Filali : Parcours d'un vrai homme d'état". Aujourd'hui le Maroc. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. ^ "Anciens Premiers ministres et Chefs du gouvernement". www.cg.gov.ma (in French). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  3. ^ "رؤساء الحكومة السابقون". www.cg.gov.ma (in Arabic). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  4. ^ Former PM Abdellatif Filali dies[permanent dead link] Maghreb Arabe Presse, 20 March 2009
  5. ^ "General who crushed coup gains power in Morocco". Herald Journal. Rabat. AP. 8 August 1971. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  6. ^ "عبد اللطيف الفيلالي". www.aljazeera.net (in Arabic). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Abdellatif Filali, ancien premier ministre marocain". Le Monde.fr (in French). 15 April 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  8. ^ "Décès à Paris de l'ancien premier ministre Abdellatif Filali - Archive". www.yabiladi.com. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Maroc.Décès de l'ancien Premier ministre Filali". Le Telegramme (in French). 21 March 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  10. ^ a b c d "Morocco's Former PM, Abdellatif Filali, Dies in France". Naharnet. 23 March 2009. Archived from the original on 8 February 2013. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  11. ^ "Abdellatif FILALI". alacademia (in French). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  12. ^ "Décès à Paris de l'ancien Premier ministre marocain Abdellatif Filali – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  13. ^ a b "Leaders of Morocco (Kingdom of Morocco)". Terra. Archived from the original on 20 September 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
  14. ^ Bruce Maddy-Weitzman (2011). The Berber Identity Movement and the Challenge to North African States. University of Texas Press. p. 120. ISBN 978-0-292-72587-4.
  15. ^ "الوزير الأول الأسبق عبد اللطيف الفيلالي في ذمة الله". Hespress - هسبريس جريدة إلكترونية مغربية (in Arabic). 20 March 2009. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  16. ^ "قصص وزراء ومسؤولين عاشوا أيامهم الأخيرة بعيدا عن الوطن". الأخبار جريدة إلكترونية مغربية مستقلة (in Arabic). 11 January 2021. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  17. ^ Gupta, Pranay (1 May 1989). "My father-in-law is very demanding". Forbes. Archived from the original on 18 May 2014. Retrieved 22 December 2012.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  18. ^ "Le Maroc et le monde Arabe - Abdellatif Filali - Payot". www.payot.ch. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  19. ^ Le Maroc et le monde arabe - Abdellatif Filali - Scali - Grand format - Librairie Gallimard PARIS (in French).
  20. ^ أحمد نجيم (20 March 2009). "وفاة الوزير الأول الأسبق المغربي عبد اللطيف الفيلالي في فرنسا". Elaph - إيلاف (in Arabic). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  21. ^ "وفاة رئيس الوزراء المغربي الاسبق عبد اللطيف الفلالي". alrainewspaper (in Arabic). Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  22. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado
Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Morocco
1994-1998
Succeeded by