Tunisian premier in Rabat for meeting of high joint commission
Morocco-Tunisia, Politics, 10/4/2001

Tunisian Premier, Mohamed Ghanouchi, arrived in Rabat this Thursday on a three-day official visit to Morocco, during which he will co-chair with his Moroccan peer, Abderrahman Youssoufi, the 9th session of the Moroccan-Tunisian high joint commission.

Ghanouchi told reporters he was bearing a message of friendship and consideration from Tunisia's President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali to King Mohammed VI.

He said that the 9th Moroccan-Tunisian high level meeting will assess achievements completed during the previous meetings and that his visit to Morocco is meant to give a new momentum to bilateral cooperation.

A package of agreements geared towards the consolidation of bilateral cooperation will be signed during this meeting, the Tunisian Premier said, underlining that priority will be granted to boosting trade exchanges, in line with the agreements binding Rabat and Tunis, and mainly the agreement setting up an Arab free trade area.

"we are equally working to increase the flow of investments through joint ventures," Ghanouchi said, adding that Tunisian businessmen are currently visiting Morocco for talks with their Moroccan peers.

Our talks will cover other issues, related mainly to the Arab Maghreb and the situation in the Middle East, the Tunisian Premier said.

The Moroccan-Tunisian high level meeting, convening October 4-5, will assess achievements and adopt measures to promote cooperation between the two Maghreban countries.

The commission is the highest cooperation body between the two countries. It holds regular meetings every year, under the co-chairmanship of the two countries' Prime Ministers, to assess trade exchanges.

In 2000, bilateral trade exchanges amounted to 996.21 million Dirhams (about US$90.56 million) with Morocco's imports from Tunisia totaling 357.95 million Dirhams (about $32.54 million) and exports amounting to 638.26 million Dirhams (about $ 58.02 million).

In 1999, trade exchanges were worth $ 75.99 million, with $37.16 million worth of imports and $ 38.83 million of exports.

Morocco's exports to Tunisia are mainly made up of chemical wood paste, soluble coffee, tires, car spare parts, and industrial oils. The kingdom's imports from Tunisia consist of plastic items, electric transformers and TV sets.

At the level of the Arab world, Morocco is Tunisia's second client and supplier, soaking 10.3 % of Tunisia's exports and providing 12.2 % of the north African country's imports. Tunisia is Morocco's 21st client and 32nd supplier.

Morocco and Tunisia are bound by an agreement setting up a free trade area that was concluded in March 1999. The accord provides for the suppression --as of the signing date-- of all duties on some 2,000 non-agricultural products carrying below 10% custom duties.

The other custom duties will be gradually lowered up to year 2007.

Morocco and Tunisia are also signatory, together with Egypt and Jordan, to the Agadir Declaration --signed in May 2001--setting up a free trade area between Arab-Mediterranean countries, ahead of the 2010 target for trade barriers to end in the Euro-Mediterranean area. The free trade zone including Arab Mediterranean countries would also be open to other Arab countries.

Morocco and Tunisia are bound to the European Union by separate association accords that provide, inter alia, for the creation of free exchange areas by year 2010 and are both member of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), set up in 1989, and that also musters Algeria, Libya and Mauritania.

The commission's 8th session was held in Tunisia in September 2000.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan-Tunisian high joint commission meets in Rabat   (10/2/2001)
  Tunisian home minister meets head of Morocco's civil rescue   (9/22/2001)
  Morocco-Tunisia : a shared will to develop cooperation   (7/20/2001)

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