Belgian senate speaker to visit Morocco
Morocco-Belgium, Politics, 4/10/2001

Speaker of the Belgian senate, Armand De Decker, will pay this April 12-14 an official visit to Morocco at the invitation of speaker of the chamber of advisors, Mustapha Okacha.

De Decker who called Morocco "an important partner for Belgium, not only for the size of the Moroccan community settled in Belgium but also for its role at the international arena," said the visit will be an opportunity to develop the good relationships between the two countries.

He added parliamentary diplomacy plays a major role in promoting understanding between the two kingdoms, especially that the presence in Belgium of a large Moroccan community lends a special importance to bilateral relations.

He went on good relationships have already helped in settling some problems like the custody of children born to Moroccan-Belgian couples, insisting his visit will help explain some Belgian concerns and better understand Moroccan laws in order to have a closer collaboration to resolve similar cases.

He added that Belgium, which will take over the European Union rotating chairmanship starting next July 1st, will endeavor to re-activate the Barcelona Mediterranean process launched in 1995.

He argued that the EU should probe, in parallel to the construction of its political union project, a second project that would grant Mediterranean countries more than the present economic and customs duties agreements. The EU should set up with south-Mediterranean countries a political space in which these countries would have the status of "associate members."

The Belgian official insisted on Morocco as "an important partner" of Belgium in some "political projects" both in the Middle East and in Central Africa. Belgium, which is the former colonial power in some Central African countries, will explain to Morocco the Belgian procedure in this region in order to establish "a political collaboration" to stabilize the region.

Previous Stories:
  King Mohammed meets Belgian vice-premier   (11/1/2000)
  Belgian MPs, Moroccan Employers Association explore bilateral cooperation   (4/6/2000)
  Moroccan-Wallon joint commission meets in Brussels Monday   (2/12/2000)

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