Abdellatif Filali

Abdellatif Filali (Template:Langx; 26 January 1928 – 20 March 2009) was a Moroccan politician and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of Morocco from 25 May 1994 to 4 February 1998.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Filali was known to have progressive views.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Early life

Filali was born in January 26, 1929 in Beni Mellal, Morocco.<ref name=birth/><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The son of a judge, Abdellatif Filali had studied law in France before opting for a diplomatic career.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Career

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

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.<ref name="nnet" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Then he served as Prime Minister of Morocco from 25 May 1994 to 4 February 1998.<ref name="terra">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He also served as foreign minister of Morocco from 1985 to 1999.<ref name="terra" /> In addition, he held the minister of state portfolio during his term as prime minister.<ref name="nnet" /> He initiated TV broadcasts in the Moroccan Berber dialects.<ref name="Maddy-Weitzman2011">Template:Cite book</ref> Filali was replaced by Abderrahmane Youssoufi as prime minister in 1998.<ref name="nnet" />

Personal life and death

Filali was married to a French woman, Anne Belghmi Zwobada, putative daughter of Jacques Zwobada,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> who is the daughter of late Hassan II and elder sister of Mohammed VI.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

Filali died on 20 March 2009 in the Paris suburb of Clamart due to a heart failure.<ref name=nnet>Template:Cite news</ref> He was 81.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Honours

• Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain, 10/09/1971).<ref>Boletín Oficial del Estado</ref>
• Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George [GCMG] (United Kingdom).
• Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order [GCVO] (United Kingdom).