Minister briefs fishery professionals on Morocco-EU negotiations
Moroccan fishery minister, Said Chabaatou, met on Tuesday Moroccan fishery professionals over developments in the Morocco-EU negotiations.
The minister briefed fishery professionals representatives of the outlines of the Moroccan proposal to the European Union regarding cooperation in fisheries. He also told them the political discussions, slated this Wednesday in Morocco with European fishing commissioner - Franz Fischler- will give a new impetus to future negotiations.
The fishing professionals, who have been holding regular meetings with the minister, renewed their concerns.
The meeting was held as the European Commissioner in charge of agriculture and fisheries, Franz Fischler, is expected in Morocco for political talks over fisheries after a series of technical meetings failed to reach a breakthrough.
For Moroccan fishery minister, Said Chbaatou, Morocco and the European Union are on the path of concluding a new agreement on fisheries. The minister, who was interviewed by "Le Matin du Sahara et du Maghreb" daily, said however "everything depends on the outcome of political discussions."
The official stressed the importance of Fischler's visit which makes it possible to go beyond "technical limitations to political evaluation of relations between Morocco and the European Union.
For Chbaatou, Morocco's offer is a realistic and comprehensive one as it caters for specificities of European fishing professionals. He went on it makes up a frame of prospective cooperation, that enables both sides to contribute to further mutual understanding and shared partnership.
Morocco's offer was conditioned by two important requisites, namely the need to preserve the kingdom's sea wealth and develop the sector, he said insisting "as long as the European sides did not respect these two conditions, it was impossible to start earnest negotiations.
Morocco wants a new cooperation formula in fisheries that takes into account depleting fish stocks and the sector development and modernization requirements. Morocco says it is open to all cooperation formulas, except for direct fishing.
Some 600 European trawlers, mostly Spanish, were brought to a forced mooring in November 1999 as Morocco refused to renew a new fisheries agreement providing for direct fishing activities.