By Lamine Ghanmi

RABAT, July 19 (Reuters) - Morocco is committed to respecting human rights and democracy as it steps up security measures against al Qaeda-linked radical Islamists, a government minister said.

Early this month, the government raised its alert level to the highest "maximum" rating, mobilising security forces in readiness for a suspected imminent attack.

Rights activists voiced concern respect for human rights and tolerance of political opponents might be eroded by the increased security measures.

"The best long-term defence against terrorism is for Morocco to sustain democracy and strengthen respect for human rights," Mohamed El Yazghi, infrastructure, water and environment minister, told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday.

Yazghi is also the leader of the Socialist Union of Popular Forces (USFP) which controls key positions in the coalition government like justice and economy.

"Morocco is well-armed to fight terrorism," Yazghi said, citing plans to upgrade security forces and anti-terror law.

Rights groups have praised the government for its human rights record in the past eight years, in contrast to the "years of lead" in the 1960s-1990s era when hundreds of dissidents disappeared and thousands were jailed after unfair trials.

Morocco and its neighbours in the Maghreb region have been on alert since al Qaeda's affiliate in North Africa, the Algeria-based Al Qaeda Organisation in the Islamic Maghreb, threatened to escalate its war against "corrupt" regional rulers and their Western allies.

Al Qaeda's Maghreb branch has claimed responsibility for a series of attacks in Algeria in the past four months.

Rabat has warned that Al Qaeda-linked terrorism has became a "permanent menace" for Morocco, which suffered suicide bombings that killed 45 people in Casablanca in 2003.

In March and April in Casablanca, seven suicide bombers detonated devices, killing themselves and one policeman.

Local newspapers said the Rabat government feared al Qaeda may have shifted its strategy in Morocco to recruit seasoned operatives to plan and carry out deadly attacks.

"The best tool of our country has to fight terrorism is to uphold a fair judiciary system which allows even terrorism suspects to defend their rights," Yazghi said.

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