King Mohammed calls for innovative partnership with Italy
King Mohammed VI, who started Tuesday a three-day state visit to Italy, held Tuesday afternoon a first round of discussions with President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi and attended a dinner-banquet hosted in his honor by the Italian head of state.
The king in the banquet's address called for an "innovative" partnership with Italy ushering in "more promising prospects and more active solidarity" saying the deep changes the world is going through require a review of cooperation instruments and adaptation to objectives of sustained growth and lasting development.
Institutional and economic reforms Morocco has embarked upon show Moroccan resolve to speed up modernization, King Mohammed VI said, voicing satisfaction at new dynamics blown by Italian economic operators into small and medium business opening doors to more industrial cooperation, more joint investments and more advanced-technology transfer.
The king hailed development achieved in southern Italy and said the promotion of Morocco's northern provinces could greatly benefit from Italian knowhow and expertise, providing an extra opportunity for a proximity partnership where the two countries' interests, and those of Europe at large, converge.
Of rapports with the European Union, King Mohammed VI said the Association Accord has shown limits and can no longer meet the change and needs of Moroccan and European societies before he reiterated legitimate ambition for an "advanced" status taking into account the kingdom's specificity and expectations of the people in the region.
He also called for revitalization of the stalled Barcelona process with new moves in favor of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership to turn it into a means to accompany efforts of the southern Mediterranean countries and secure their integration in the world economy.
King Mohammed VI said the kingdom is fully aware of the fateful role of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA, gathering Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Libya) and has always, despite attempts against its territorial integrity, endeavored to overcome roadblocks to honest implementation of UNO settlement plan.
Dealing with the Middle East conflict, he stressed the fact that the two countries have tirelessly worked for a comprehensive and lasting peace based on Israeli pullout of all occupied Arab territories and the advent of an independent Palestinian state with Al Quds as its capital.
