No Progress in Morocco-EU Fisheries Negotiations

Moroccan and European Union (EU) negotiators who held Thursday in Brussels a technical meeting failed to score any progress in negotiations on a new fisheries accord.

The Thursday meeting was meant to prepare for the "political meeting" next Monday between Moroccan fisheries minister, Said Chbaatou, and EU agriculture and fisheries commissioner, Franz Fischler.

The Thursday meeting "registered no progress," Rhanmi Tijani, secretary-general of the Moroccan fisheries department, told MAP, adding "positions remain divergent on the key items of the future accord."

The divergence concerns mainly the financial compensation EU should pay to Morocco and the fisheries possibilities offered by Morocco.

The political meeting of next Monday will be the 7th round of talks and no agreement was so far reached on a new accord. The old accord expired in November 1999. Morocco refuses to renew the accord under its previous formula in a bid to safeguard its depleting sea resources.