Moroccan-Tunisian entente a reality, Tunisian president
Morocco-Tunisia, Politics, 3/20/1999

Tunisian President Zein al-Abidin Bin Ali told a Moroccan weekly that entente between Morocco and Tunisia is an evident reality and it is not needed to list its numerous manifestations.

In an interview published Friday by "Maroc Hebdo," the Tunisian president said that in addition to similarities of language, religion, geography location, the converging points between the two states lie in the similarity between the mentality of two peoples who aspire to well-being and believe deeply in the notion of good jobs.

The head of state, who paid earlier this week his first official visit to the kingdom, insisted that these similarities promote a mutually-profitable cooperation, provided that private initiative is given the opportunity, far from all administrative constraints and restrictions.

He added that Morocco and Tunisia "who represent two poles of stability in the Maghreban region have to develop strong, sound and diversified relations to contribute to promote the whole region."

"Bilateral relations should be at the same time a support and a complement to collective efforts in the frame of the Arab Maghreb Union," said Benali who considered that the UMA (Arab Maghreb Union, gathering Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) as a decisive and irreversible option in view of the emergence of regional groupings in a world where a single country cannot claim to survive on its own.

To a question on whether a Moroccan-Tunisian free trade area is possible in the near future, the Tunisian president said this is the will of the two states and announced that an agreement will be signed to create such an area as soon as possible.

He explained that Tunisia has adopted deep reforms at the legislative and administrative levels to upgrade the competitiveness of its companies.

We encourage Tunisian economic operators to seize the opportunities offered by Morocco in order to establish partnership in all economic fields and mutually-profitable exchanges, he added.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan and Tunisian economic operators resolve to increase trade   (3/18/1999)
  Tunisian president calls Moroccan and Tunisian parliaments to consolidate relations   (3/17/1999)
  Morocco and Tunisia for revival of Arab Maghreb Union   (3/17/1999)

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