French premier starts visit to Morocco
Morocco-France, Politics, 7/25/2003

French prime minister, Jean-Pierre Raffarin, arrived in Rabat this Thursday for a two-day official visit to chair with Moroccan peer, Driss Jettou, the 5th bilateral encounter of prime ministers.

The heads of government meeting, the fifth of the kind since 1997, is held two months after the terrorist attacks in Casablanca last May 16. The French foreign ministry said the visit will be an opportunity to show in a concrete and considerable way France's support to Morocco and to the ongoing openness and modernization process in the kingdom.

Raffarin, who is visiting Morocco for the first time since he took office in May 2002, will also prepare for a visit by French president, Jacques Chirac, slated for next October.

The 5th intergovernmental encounter will look into a work program for future relations between the two countries, in a bid to give concrete content to the proximity policy sought by the two countries. The agenda features concrete fields of action corresponding to priorities set by the Moroccan government, including low cost housing, basic education and health.

As far as education is concerned, the two countries are projecting to set forth decentralized cooperation between French and Moroccan regional academies to fight illiteracy.

In the economic field, the encounter will adapt France's action implements to improve Morocco's investment environment and support Moroccan enterprises upgrading.

A new convention on cultural, scientific and technical cooperation will be concluded and a steering and coordination council to follow up and coordinate bilateral cooperation will be set up.

At the political level, ties between the two countries that are often described by the two sides as strategic and exceptional are also being extended to the regional, international and multilateral struggle against terrorism, drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

France also says it is supporting Moroccan wish to enjoy an advanced status in its relations with the EU, ties that stand above association and below membership.

Raffarin is accompanied with an official delegation, comprising the foreign minister, equipment minister, health minister, education minister, the government spokesman and law-makers. Other members of the delegation include CEOs of French major companies

France is Morocco's first trade partner with French exports worth 2.04 billion Euros in 2001 and imports standing at 1.91 billion Euros. France's aid to development extended to Morocco amounts to 168 million Euros annually.

Previous Stories:
  France says a solution to the sahara conflict should enjoy consent of concerned parties   (7/23/2003)
  Paris opposes any solution to Sahara issue without consent of all parties   (7/15/2003)
  King Mohammed holds phone talks with French president   (7/15/2003)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search