Morocco, US hold new FTA negotiations round next June
Morocco-USA, Economics, 5/8/2003

Morocco and the United States will hold next June in Morocco a third round of their negotiations to conclude a free trade agreement (FTA), announced the Moroccan Delegate Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation.

The agreement aims to integrate the Moroccan economy in the regional and international environment, upgrade Moroccan enterprises by sharpening their competitive edge, drain more foreign investments and generate more jobs, Taieb Fassi Fihri told the Chamber of Advisors, upper house of parliament.

Morocco and the US have held two rounds of talks in Washington and Brussels, and both countries' officials have spoken of tremendous progress achieved so far towards the conclusion of the accord.

Morocco will be the fifth country in the world and the second in the Arab region to have such an accord with the US. Washington is already bound by an FTA to Canada, Mexico, Israel and Jordan.

Fassi Fihri discarded any contradiction between the projected FTA with the US and the Association Accord it has with the European Union.

"Negotiations with the US are conducted part of a "global vision that does not allow any contradiction," said the minister, pointing out that several Mediterranean countries and others are bound by FTAs both with the US and the EU.

The minister recalled that at the first round of these negotiations, held in January in Washington, Morocco outlined the government's policies in several sectors, including agriculture, textile, services, customs duties, environment, intellectual property, labor code and investment.

Moroccan negotiators stressed the importance to reach a "satisfactory agreement" that takes into account the economic reality, development requirements and the specificity of Morocco, said Fihri, adding the Moroccan negotiators agreed with US peers to deal with the agricultural sector according to a global development approach that does not only responds to a commercial logic.

As to the agricultural section of association negotiations with the EU, Fihri said Morocco is determined to adopt an approach heeding the country's social and economic situation, the production and marketing of agricultural products in internal and external markets.

Morocco is keen on reaching an accord that respects the vital interests of the country, he said.

The decision to strike a free trade deal with the US was announced in Washington in March 2002 during a visit to Washington by King Mohammed VI.

The association accord between the EU and Morocco entered in force five years after its signature in 1995 and it aims to reinforce cooperation between Morocco and the EU in several realms and set a free trade zone by 2012.

Previous Stories:
  Morocco-US FTA technical talks wrap up in geneva   (3/28/2003)
  Morocco denies reports on plans to postpone, boycott FTA talks with US   (3/27/2003)
  Morocco, USA probe services chapter of free trade agreement negotiations   (3/8/2003)

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