Moroccan Statesman Moulay Ahmed Laraki, Former Prime Minister, Dies at 86

Born on October 15, 1931 in Casablanca, the deceased was a Moroccan physician and statesman. A member of the Istiqlal party, he held the position of Prime Minister from October 7, 1969 to August 6, 1971.

In 1957, he obtained his doctorate in medicine in Paris. The following year, he joined Ahmed Balafrej’s cabinet at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs before being appointed ambassador to Madrid and Washington. He joined Mohamed Benhima’s government on July 6, 1967 as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

In 1969, he experienced a political rise. He was appointed Prime Minister, a position he held until his resignation on August 6, 1971. He returned to the government in April 1974. This time, he was appointed Minister of State in charge of Foreign Affairs, and became de facto a member of the Moroccan negotiating committee for the Madrid agreements, establishing the formalities that had preceded the Spanish withdrawal from the Moroccan Sahara.