10 OCTOBER 2003
Morocco's Princess Lalla Salma made another high-profile appearance on Thursday, as she joined her husband King Mohammed and French president Jacques Chirac for a state banquet in the city of Fez.

Sitting alongside the French premiere, red-headed former computer engineer Lalla Salma joined in the two leaders' conversation. In the past, commoners never even saw a royal wife.

Her outing comes a few months after she took centre-stage during Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's visit to the north African country.

The 25-year-old's increasingly visible role in Moroccan affairs is seen as further evidence of her husband's modernising approach. And their Parisian guest was eager to praise Mohammed's efforts to bring greater democracy to the nation.

"Morocco is a precious example of a country that has always succeeded in striking the fragile but necessary balance between respect for traditions and openness to the world," said the 70-year-old. "It is only natural that France stands by, supports and encourages Morocco in the path it has chosen."