Youssoufi: Morocco needs fisheries sector for internal development
Morocco, Economics, 11/6/1999

Morocco will not renew the fisheries accord binding it to the European Union when it expires on November 30, 1999, said Moroccan Premier Abderrahmane Youssoufi at a meeting in Rabat Friday with visiting speaker of the Spanish Congress of deputies (lower house), Federico Trillo Sijueroa.

Youssoufi said that the accord will not be renewed and that Morocco has given Spain and the European Union enough time to rethink its fleet.

Nearly 600 European trawlers, mainly Spanish and Portuguese, operate in Moroccan waters under this accord.

Youssoufi told Sijueroa --who started a visit to Morocco on Friday heading a delegation of MPs from the various parliamentary groups-- that Morocco was willing to discuss with the Union new cooperation forms and proposals, in the frame of a new partnership project to preserve Morocco's sea resources.

Moroccan officials and fisheries professionals argue that the new partnership should seek the promotion of joint ventures in fisheries-related sectors such as shipyards, ships maintenance, and sea-food processing, in addition to fish-farming.

The same stand was expressed by Moroccan minister of agriculture and maritime fisheries, habib Malki, at a similar meeting with the speaker of the Spanish Congress.

Malki said Morocco was awaiting new proposals from the European Union. He added that this stand was stipulated in the four-year accord that expires at the end of the current month and that the fishery accords struck so far are outdated and do not match a future-oriented partnership.

Touching on Morocco's relations with Spain that he called "a friendly country," Malki said partnership with the Iberian country is "a fundamental choice" whatever the conjuncture difficulties. The Moroccan government will spare no effort to further dialogue with Madrid, Malki said.

The speaker of the Spanish lower house voiced his country's concern and that of the Spanish public opinion over the fisheries issue and stressed the need to make more efforts to alleviate the impact of this issue on bilateral relations.

In the city of Santiago de Compostela, the provincial capital of the north-western province of Galicia, European Union commissioner for Agriculture and Fishing Franz Fischler told reporters on Friday that the Union is planning to negotiate with Morocco a fishing accord that will not be linked to any other sector. There will be no bartering of fish for agricultural products, the EU commissioner said adding he had sent a message to the Moroccan Government, proposing dates for the talks.

Fischler who had held talks with the Spanish Minister of Fishing and Agriculture, Jesus Posada, re-asserted that Morocco has not shown interest to renew the fishing agreement with the Union.

Previous Stories:
  Italian businessmen in Morocco tomorrow   (11/2/1999)
  No to fishing accord, yes to onshore cooperation, Khyari says   (10/30/1999)
  Morocco - China fishery cooperation enhanced   (10/30/1999)

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