Abdellatif Filali ( ar, عبد اللطيف الفيلالي; 26 January 1928 – 20 March 2009) was a Moroccan politician and diplomat who served as

Prime Minister of Morocco The prime minister of Morocco (officially Head of Government, ar, رئيس حكومة المملكة المغربية, rayiys hukumat almamlakat almaghribia) is the head of government of the Kingdom of Morocco. The prime minister is chosen by t ...

from 25 May 1994 to 4 February 1998. He was the 11th

prime minister of Morocco The prime minister of Morocco (officially Head of Government, ar, رئيس حكومة المملكة المغربية, rayiys hukumat almamlakat almaghribia) is the head of government of the Kingdom of Morocco. The prime minister is chosen by t ...

and served under king

Hassan II Hassan, Hasan, Hassane, Haasana, Hassaan, Asan, Hassun, Hasun, Hassen, Hasson or Hasani may refer to: People *Hassan (given name), Arabic given name and a list of people with that given name *Hassan (surname), Arabic, Jewish, Irish, and Scottis ...

. Filali was known to have progressive views.

Early life

Filali was born in February 26, 1929 in

Beni Mellal Beni Mellal ( ar, بني ملال}, ber, ⴰⵢⵜ ⵎⵍⵍⴰⵍ, Ayt Mellal) is a city in north-central Morocco. It is the capital of the Béni Mellal-Khénifra Region and has a population of 192,676 (2014 census). It sits at the foot of Jbe ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

. The son of a cadi, Abdellatif Filali had studied law in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

before opting for a diplomatic career.

Career

He began his diplomatic career at the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

as Chargé d'affaires of Morocco between 1958 and 1959 in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, then in

from 1961 to 1962. On June 17, 1968 He became Minister of Higher Education in the

Mohamed Benhima Mohamed Benhima (Arabic: محمد بنهيمة; June 25, 1924 – November 23, 1992) was Prime Minister of Morocco, serving from 7 July 1967 to 6 October 1969. He was born in Safi (Asfi) to Taïbi Benhima and Rkia Benhida. He was also Minister of ...

government. On August 4, 1971, he was appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in the

Mohammed Karim Lamrani Mohammed Karim Lamrani ( ar, محمد كريم العمراني; 1 May 1919 – 20 September 2018) was a Moroccan politician who was the Prime Minister of Morocco for three separate terms. He served his first term for one year which started in 1 ...

government, on April 12, 1972 he was reappointed to the same position. 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 Western Sahara ( '; ; ) is a disputed territory on the northwest coast and in the Maghreb region of North and West Africa. About 20% of the territory is controlled by the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), while the r ...

. Filali served as the Morocco's ambassador to several significant countries, including

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

and

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

. Then he served as

from 25 May 1994 to 4 February 1998. He also served as

foreign minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...

of Morocco from 1985 to 1999. In addition, he held the minister of state portfolio during his term as prime minister. He initiated TV broadcasts in the Moroccan Berber dialects. Filali was replaced by

Abderrahmane Youssoufi Abderrahmane Youssoufi ( ; ar, عبد الرحمن اليوسفي; 8 March 1924 – 29 May 2020) was a Moroccan politician and human rights lawyer who served as the 12th Prime Minister of Morocco from 1998 to 2002, serving under kings Hassan I ...

as prime minister in 1998.

Personal life

Filali was married to a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

woman, Anne Belghmi Zwobada, putative daughter of

Jacques Zwobada Jacques Zwobada, also spelt in other ways, such as Swobada and Zwoboda (6 August 1900 – 6 September 1967), was a French sculptor and designer. Life Zwobada was born in a Czech family ONA Group The ONA Group (Omnium Nord-Africain, Arabic: مجموعة أونا) was established in 1934 and dissolved in 2010 and succeeded by Societe Nationale d'Investissement. ONA was an industrial, financial and services conglomerate, focused on posit ...

and the former husband of

Lalla Meryem Princess Lalla Meryem of Morocco ( ar, الأميرة للا مريم, born 26 August 1962 in Rome, Italy) is the first daughter and eldest child of the late King Hassan II of Morocco and his wife, Lalla Latifa Hammou. After she obtained her B ...

, who is the daughter of late

and elder sister of

Mohammed VI Muhammad VI may refer to: * Muhammad Imaaduddeen VI (1868–1932), sultan of the Maldives from 1893 to 1902 * Mehmed VI (1861–1926), sultan of Ottoman Empire, from 1918 to 1922 * Mohammed VI of Morocco Mohammed VI ( ar, محمد السادس ...

. After retiring politics, Filali permanently settled in his wife's house in

and wrote a reference book about foreign relations of

at the second half of past century.

Death

Filali died on 20 March 2009 in the Paris suburb of

Clamart Clamart () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: ''bas Clamart'', the historical centre, and ''petit Clamart'' with urbaniz ...

due to a heart failure. He was 81.

Honours

* Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (Spain, 10/09/1971).Boletín Oficial del Estado
/ref> * Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of St Michael and St George The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George IV, George IV, Prince of Wales, while he was acting as prince regent for his father, George III, King George III. ...

CMG(United Kingdom). * Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the

Royal Victorian Order The Royal Victorian Order (french: Ordre royal de Victoria) is a dynastic order of knighthood established in 1896 by Queen Victoria. It recognises distinguished personal service to the British monarch, Canadian monarch, Australian monarch, o ...

CVO(United Kingdom).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Filali, Abdellatif 1928 births People from Beni Mellal People from Fez, Morocco Moroccan diplomats Prime Ministers of Morocco Ambassadors of Morocco to Algeria Government ministers of Morocco Ambassadors of Morocco to the United Kingdom Ambassadors of Morocco to China Ambassadors of Morocco to Spain Foreign ministers of Morocco Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Member of the Academy of the Kingdom of Morocco 2009 deaths