Youssoufi defends cabinet's action, blames heritage of previous governments
Morocco, Politics, 1/20/2000

Moroccan Premier Abderrahmane Youssoufi on Wednesday defended before the house of representatives (lower house of the parliament) the cabinet action and efforts to put the country on the track of growth despite the heritage bequeathed by previous governments.

Youssoufi who was addressing the house following the debate of the statement he made last week on performance by his cabinet since it was appointed 18 months ago, said the weight of the heritage left by previous governments is requiring even more efforts due to the difficult economic and social situation in the country.

The prime minister reiterated the government's economic and social choices, consisting the promotion of investments, the reactivation of economy and the creation of the largest possible number of jobs. He recalled that the annual average investment rate that did not exceed 21 % in the 1993-97 period jumped to 23.7 in 1999. The external debt/GDP ratio dropped to 50 % by the end of 1999 from 58.4 % in 1997. The same downward trend was recorded for the debt service, Youssoufi said.

He added that despite the adverse effects of drought in 1998-99, and the hike in oil prices, the balance of payments curbed its deficit to 0.6 %.

Touching on unemployment, the prime minister conceded that the phenomenon is actually worrying because of the deficit cumulated over several years, the lack of an efficient employment policy and the inadequacy between training and labor market requirements.

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