Morocco - Egypt start preperations to boost weak trade

Morocco and Egypt will start today in Cairo preparatory meetings for their High Joint Commission's 4th session, to be co-chaired next week in the Egyptian capital city by King Mohammed VI and President Hosni Mubarak.

The meetings, to be attended by senior officials and experts, will access the progress of bilateral cooperation in light of the third session, held June 1999 in Rabat.

Draft accords and other documents will be prepared by the experts and will be submitted to the High Joint Commission.

The Commission's meetings are expected to strike a balance between Morocco and Egypt's privileged political ties and their economic and commercial ones, which are still short of the desired levels.

Morocco and Egypt are two populus and dynamic states in different areas of the Arab states yet their bilateral trade did not exceed $ 36 million in 1999, with a trade balance in favor of Egypt.