King invites Tunisian president to visit Morocco
Morocco-Tunisia-Spain, Politics, 1/24/2000

King Mohammed VI has invited Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to visit Morocco, said Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mohamed Benaissa, who handed on Saturday a royal message to Ben Ali.

After being received by the Tunisian president, the Moroccan foreign minister told reporters he reviewed with his Tunisian peer, Habib Benyahia, a set of topics, particularly the evolution of bilateral relations and means to activate structures of the Moroccan-Tunisian high joint commission.

King Mohammed VI visited Tunisia last December 27 as part of an Arab tour that had taken him to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

Talks also covered means to re-launch bodies of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), a regional grouping mustering Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.

"We do not want that an institution set up (in 1989) by the joint will of five states remains paralyzed and at the same time we do not want it to run contrary to the interests of these countries," he said.

To a question on the Spanish foreign minister's statements last week in Tunis on the two Moroccan northern cities of Sebta and Melillia, still under Spanish rule, Benaissa recalled Morocco's official stance that renewed attachment to its sovereignty over the two cities. He stated that the retrocession by Britain of Hong Kong and by Portugal of Macao are examples showing how old colonization remnants should be addressed. He recalled that the late king Hassan II had proposed to creation of a cell to ponder on how to end the problem in a way that preserves both Morocco's historical rights and Spain's economic and social interests.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan FM in Tunis after Bamako   (1/22/2000)
  Tunisian women affairs minister visits Morocco   (1/21/2000)
  President Bin Ali, King Mohammed call for Arab summit   (12/30/1999)

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