Morocco, EU Resume Negotiations on Fisheries Friday

Morocco and the European Union are to carry on this Friday in Brussels technical negotiations on fisheries they resumed Thursday.

On Thursday, negotiators discussed a number of technical issues related mainly to the unloading of catches in Moroccan ports while this Friday round will be devoted to the promotion of the Moroccan fishery sector, said the spokesman for the agriculture and fisheries commissioner. The two sides will "identify in detail" the proposals made by Morocco in this respect, the spokesman said.

This new technical round follows the clarification meeting held on January 25 in Rabat. The two delegations had then said progress was scored but difficulties were persisting.

The spokesman had told MAP bureau in Brussels before the opening of this new round of technical negotiations that the EU will make new proposals to Morocco, but he did not unveil the contents of these proposals.

Moroccan-European fishery negotiations started last September but failed to reach agreement on the renewal of a fishery accord.

Negotiations are stumbling over several issues, mainly the duration of the accord-- Morocco wants it not to exceed 2 years while the EU seeks to strike a deal for 4 to 5 years--, the number of European trawlers to be allowed in Moroccan grounds, the amount of the financial compensation to be granted to Morocco and other technical aspects.

Since the latest fisheries accord between Morocco and the European Union expired on November 30, 1999, more than 500 European trawlers, mostly Spanish, are forced to berth.