Morocco negotiates free trade accord with African grouping

Morocco has dispatched a delegation to Burkina Faso's capital city of Ouagadougou to negotiate a free trade accord with the Western African Economic and Monetary Union.

The agreement will replace past bilateral accords between Morocco and the Union's member countries, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote D'Ivoire, Senegal, Togo, Mali, Niger and Guinea Bissau.

The move is a follow-up of a tour made last year by Moroccan Premier Abderrahmane Youssoufi to some countries in this African region.

Morocco's trade with the union went up to $1.16 billion in 1998 from $1.09 billion in 1997.

The Moroccan delegation includes experts from the departments of foreign affairs and cooperation, of industry and commerce and of agriculture.