RABAT, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan minister delegate in charge of national defense administration and a UN Peacekeeping Operation official discussed here on Monday means to improve security conditions of UN troops in Africa.
Abdeltif Loudyi, the Moroccan minister and Lieutenant General Carlos Humberto Loitey, military adviser for the UN Peacekeeping Operation, also discussed the contribution of Morocco to the UN operations.
The two officials mulled over means to improve the conditions for the conduct of peacekeeping missions, given the complex environment of current operations, said a statement by the national defense administration.
On this occasion, Loudyi highlighted the important and continuous efforts of the kingdom in the field of peacekeeping, commending the initiatives launched by UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, as part of the reform of the UN architecture for peacekeeping and security, the statement said.
For his part, Loitey reiterated UN's condolences to the kingdom following the death of Moroccan peacekeepers performing their duty with honor and bravery in the Central African Republic, the same source said.
He also expressed his appreciation of the important role played by Morocco in this area and praised Morocco's commitment to "Peacekeeping Capability Readiness System," the announcement of which was made as part of the UN Peacekeeping Defense Ministerial conference, held last November in Vancouver, Canada.
The UN official, who is leading a large military delegation for a four-day working visit to Morocco until Feb. 14, held also talks with the inspector general of Morocco's Royal Armed Forces.
Morocco has deployed some 70,000 soldiers during the past 60 years as well as several field hospitals under the auspices of the United Nations.
Currently, it is present in two UN operations in the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo with some 1,605 military personnel.
