King's reforms had positive impact on Morocco-US FTA, prime minister
Morocco-USA, Politics, 3/6/2004

Initiatives and reforms conducted by Moroccan king Mohammed VI in various fields have had "a positive and decisive impact" on the conclusion of a free trade agreement with the United States, said, here Thursday, Moroccan Premier Driss Jettou.

The Prime Minister described this agreement as "exemplary" as it preserves Morocco's interests and its privileged relations with its natural and traditional partners such as the European Union and the Arab world.

This agreement, he went on, opens new horizons for Moroccan industrial and agricultural exports towards the US.

Echoing Morocco's chief negotiator and also minister-delegate of foreign affairs and cooperation, Taieb Fassi Fihri, the Premier gave assurances regarding some aspects of the agreement, concluded on Tuesday, mainly concerning generic drugs, agriculture and intellectual property, insisting that Morocco's rights and interests are preserved.

He praised the role played by the Moroccan private sector during the seven rounds of negotiations that lasted 13 months.

On Thursday, Taib Fassi Fihri, denied that Morocco has made any concessions during its negotiations for a free trade agreement with the USA concluded on Tuesday.

He insisted that the negotiators have been defending the interests of the pharmaceutics industry and particularly the generic drugs industry that accounts for 20% of national production of medicine.

Fassi Fihri explained that Moroccan and US negotiators agreed to maintain all the sector's present gains and preserve its future development, stressing that under the agreement with the USA, the protection duration of a patent will not exceed 20 years before it can be copied, used and sold by Moroccan generic medicine producers.

Meanwhile, went on the official, Morocco can still enjoy the needed flexibility to protect public health and guarantee to all access to medicine, in keeping with the Doha declaration on this particular issue. This applies to AIDS, tuberculosis, or any other epidemics as well as in case extreme emergency or threats to national security, he added.

His colleague, health minister, Mohammed Cheikh Biadillah, also gave assurances and even described as "unfounded" concerns over medicine costs related to the Free Trade Agreement since, he said, the duration of licenses protection of medicine -20 years- will not be extended.

Biadillah also stressed that gains in the field of generic medicine will be preserved.

In case of epidemic, he explained, the Moroccan government has all the guarantees to ensure the protection of public health, and the government would be able to resort to all legal means to protect citizens' health, as the Doha agreements stipulate that "Health overrules all accords."

Meanwhile, the conclusion of the FTA with the US has made the headlines of Friday's newspapers in Morocco which emphasized the importance of such an agreement for the Moroccan economy, especially as it "preserves the country's national interests."

The agreement was negotiated in "the strict respect and defense of the Kingdom's interests while taking into account the difference of development" between the United States and Morocco, wrote the semi-official French-speaking daily "Le Matin du Sahara et du Maghreb," quoting extracts from Thursday's news conference of Fassi Fishri.

The Socialists'(in Government) newspaper "Liberation" insisted on the benefits that Morocco will draw from such an agreement.

This agreement is "balanced," says the daily quoting "observers and analysts."

Al Alam, daily of the Istiqlal party (also in Government) called on both the Government and the private sector to "step up considerable efforts to upgrade the sectors of textile, food industry and fisheries to improve their competitiveness on the American market," while "L'Economiste" (independent) quoted Moroccan economic operators as saying they are "satisfied" with the agreement "despite some loopholes."

Previous Stories:
  Morocco's Islamic affairs minister meets delegation of US Christian right   (3/4/2004)
  Morocco, a key political and economic partner, US official   (3/4/2004)
  Greater Middle East: US Not Seeking to Impose Reforms, Grossman   (3/2/2004)

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