LONDON — Morocco plans to supply its citizens with the world's first national identity card based
on smart card technology.
The project which calls for the creation of 20 million cards is part of a security initiative to battle an Al Qaida-aligned insurgency as well as
illegal migration.
Moroccan nationals were said to have played a major role in the March 2004
train bombings in Madrid in which nearly 200 people were killed.
The system, which has been billed as the first of its kind, has been designed to track insurgents and illegal migrants to
and from the kingdom. The new ID card would allow police to immediately obtain personal details
and biometric data from suspects.
Morocco's Direction Générale de la Sécurité Nationale, or DGSN, has
awarded the Paris-based Thales a project to produce and personalize national
identity cards. The project encompasses ID document production equipment and
software.
The contract calls on Thales to produce 20 million ID cards over four
years. Under the project, Thales would establish production centers in
Morocco and begin operations by October 2006.
[On Thursday, Spain and Morocco held a summit to discuss illegal
immigration and counter-insurgency cooperation. Over the last week, at least
five people were killed during an attempt by hundreds of African migrants to
storm the Spanish enclave of Ceuta along the Mediterranean coast. The
Africans also tried to infiltrate Spain's other North African enclave at
Melilla.]
The ID card would also enable a link to Morocco's Automated Fingerprint
Identification System. The system acquires digital fingerprints and compares
them with a fingerprint data base.
"This is a world first, and it confirms Thales' position as a major
player in the global market for smart ID cards," Thales Security Division
vice president Tim Robinson said. "We're delighted to have gained the trust
of the kingdom of Morocco's national security service by demonstrating our
ability to manage, integrate and provide long-term support for innovative ID
solutions incorporating the latest technological advances in biometrics and
software security."
Morocco has also received EU support to help track suspected insurgency
vessels along the western Mediterranean. In 2003, 45 people were killed in
an attack by 10 Al Qaida-aligned suicide bombers in Casablanca.
Since then, many Al Qaida insurgents have fled Morocco for nearby Spain, battling an Al Qaida-aligned insurgency as well as
illegal migration,
