Morocco calls EU to open market to moroccan agricultural produce

Morocco on Thursday called on the European Union to open its markets to Moroccan agricultural produce.

"We expect Europe to further open its markets which are important for the balance of our society," Moroccan economy, finance, privatization and tourism minister, Fathallah Oualalou, told a visiting delegation of the socialist group at the European parliament.

In matters of fisheries, Oualalou called for the working out of a planning, paving the way for "a more industrial and technological cooperation that will help us produce and export."

Morocco refused to renew a fisheries accord with the EU, when it expired in November 1999. So far, the two sides held several negotiation rounds that yielded no result, Morocco being attached to the preservation of its depleting stocks and the reduction of the four-year duration of the accord.

Oualalou underlined that the duration of the accord is the major bone of contention between Morocco and Europe.

"We wish that this duration be as short as possible so that we can shift to a new type of partnership," he told the EU MPs.