President of Andalucia autonomous government calls for a balanced fisheries accord with Morocco
Morocco-Spain, Economics, 5/13/1999

The President of the autonomous government of Andalucia, Manuel Chaves, has called on Morocco and Spain to seek more viable formulas to reach a balanced fisheries accord.

Manuel Chaves said the Moroccan and Spanish governments must make efforts to seek more viable formulas in order to reach a balanced accord respecting the interests of the two sides involved in the fisheries accord, reported the Spanish news agency "EFE."

Chaves made the statement during a recent meeting in Sevilla with a group of senior executives from eight Moroccan regions.

He said if there is a genuine will to conciliate between the interests of the European Union, Spain and Morocco, it would be possible to reach a balanced accord.

Morocco has officially announced that it will not renew the four-year Moroccan-European fisheries accord that expires on November 30, 1999, out of concern for preserving its sea resources.

Moroccan officials and fisheries professionals argue that Morocco-EU cooperation must seek another partnership formula, promoting joint ventures in fisheries-related sectors such as shipyards, ships maintenance, and sea-food processing, in addition to fish-farming.

The most viable formula would lie in "globalizing" relations between Morocco and Spain, Manuel Chaves said, proposing the setting up of joint ventures and the promotion of canning industries.

After he recalled that 150 Andalucian fishing boats operate in Moroccan waters and that this activity generates thousands of jobs, Chaves underlined his government's determination to participate in the search for new cooperation formulas that would take into account the interests of both the European Union and Morocco.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan-Spanish meeting helped clear out misunderstanding about fisheries cooperation, Youssoufi says   (4/30/1999)
  Morocco and Spain pledge to give new momentum to bilateral relations   (4/30/1999)
  Moroccan fisheries minister in Madrid   (11/10/1998)

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