Morocco upholds regional integration, minister
Morocco-Regional, Economics, 5/30/2001

Morocco adheres to the Euro-Mediterranean dynamic initiated by the Barcelona process and upholds regional integration, said Moroccan minister of trade, industry, energy and mining, Mostapha Mansouri.

Mansouri made the statement in an address before an informal meeting of Euro-Mediterranean trade ministers, held Tuesday in Brussels to discuss ways of promoting regional cooperation and giving momentum to trade in the frame of the Barcelona Process.

Mansouri recalled that Morocco has signed free trade accords with several Maghreban and Arab states as well as with the European free trade association (AELE) and embarked along with Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia on the setting up of a free trade area between the four countries.

The drive, meant to create a unified economic space, is all the more important as it is open to the other Mediterranean countries.

He also recalled a proposal to set up an economic space made by Morocco at the Mediterranean forum, held in Tangier May 10-11.

He stressed the importance of south-south regional economic cooperation, as a means to make of the southern shore of the Mediterranean a united interlocutor vis-a-vis the European Union.

After he deplored the weak flow of European investments in southern Mediterranean countries, he called for the liberalization of trade and services.

Touching on the coming World Trade Organization negotiations in Doha, Qatar, next November, Mansouri said Morocco is in favor of a new round of multilateral negotiations, integrating the development dimension, the aim being a fairer distribution of globalization profits.

The Euro-Mediterranean trade ministers' meeting, the first of the kind, assessed the impact of Euro-Mediterranean partnership on trade, with focus on the impact of the association accords (between the European Union and third Mediterranean countries) on the economies of Mediterranean partners.

Debates covered other regional issues such as liberalization of services, standardization of competitiveness regulations, state projects and intellectual property copyrights.

Besides Morocco, the meeting was attended by Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the European Union.

Previous Stories:
  Agadir declaration on free trade zone, statement by royal palace spokesman   (5/9/2001)
  African meeting on fishery in Rabat   (5/8/2001)
  Ten Arab states meet in Morocco tuesday to discuss setting up of free trade zone   (5/7/2001)

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