"I learn with immense sorrow, the passing away of Abderrahmane Youssoufi. He was a great statesman. He was also an exemplary servant of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Moroccan people," Lang said in a statement received Saturday to MAP.

 "I had the good fortune to meet him for the first time in 1998 as chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly a few weeks after he became Prime minister at the head of a coalition government. As chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, I had received a mandate from Prime minister Lionel Jospin to visit Rabat and greet the new Prime minister on behalf of France. This shared moment was especially moving," said Lang.

 "With this coalition government, a new area opened up under the impetus of King Hassan II. It was the first step towards more profound changes made later by HM King Mohammed VI, which fully opened Morocco to freedom and democracy", added the president of the Institute, who underlined that "HM King Mohammed VI has often associated Abderrahmane Youssoufi with major events".

 "Abderrahmane Youssoufi enjoyed international reputation and the deep respect of the Moroccan people. He stood out for his intellectual elegance, his genuine humanism, his passion for tolerance and openness," said Lang, who, as president of the Arab World Institute, offered "his heartfelt condolences to his spouse and family and to the citizens of Morocco. »

 The former Prime minister, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, died in the night of Thursday to Friday in Casablanca, at the age of 96.