Morocco denies contacts with Spain over fisheries

Morocco on Wednesday denied any contacts with Spain over the possibility to resume negotiations on fisheries cooperation.

"There are no negotiations between Morocco and Spain on fisheries," Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Mohamed Benaissa, told the Moroccan second TV channel 2M.

The council of European fishery ministers decided on April 25 not to resume the Morocco-EU negotiations on the renewal of a fisheries accord.

The previous accord expired in November 1999, forcing to berth some 400 European trawlers, mainly Spanish and Portuguese.

Benaissa underlined that Morocco "did not leave the negotiating table." He voiced regret over the position of the European Union, which did not heed Morocco's interests and decided to stop the negotiations."

In Lisbon, Moroccan Prime minister, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, had said Wednesday that "Morocco is ready to continue the negotiations, but within equity."

Youssoufi visited Portugal to co-chair with his Portuguese peer, Antonio Guterres a two-day high-level annual meeting.