Morocco-UAE commission opens in Rabat

Foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Hamdan Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, arrived on Saturday in Morocco where he co-chaired this Monday with Moroccan peer, Mohamed Benaissa the opening of the Morocco-UAE joint commission.

The two-day session will finalize several cooperation agreements, mainly the creation of a free-trade area, to be signed between the two countries.

Other agreements deal with air transport, administration, telecommunication, information and agriculture.

A top official delegation from the United Arab Emirates, comprising the planning minister, economy and trade minister, general manager of the Abu Dhabi development fund and manager of the oil investments company is also visiting Morocco where a made-in-UAE fair June is held from 22 through 25.

Meantime, The Morocco-United Arab Emirates (UAE) joint commission started a meeting Monday here to debate means to upgrade economic and commercial ties between the two Arab nations.

The two-day session will finalize several cooperation agreements, mainly the creation of a free-trade area, to be signed between the two countries.

The meeting is co-chaired by Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Mohamed Benaissa, and UAE peer, Sheikh Hamdan Ben Zayed Al Nahyan.

Speaking at the opening of the session, Benaissa said the meeting will be crowned with the signing of several accords related to air transportation, the creation of a free-trade area and telecommunications.

Others accords include a memorandum of entente between Maghreb Arabe Presse Agency and UAE's peer WAM, a protocol of cooperation in administrative realms and a cultural cooperation agreement, he said.

King Mohammed VI will chair over the signing ceremony of these agreements, Benaissa said, urging Moroccan and Emarati private operators to join the drive to consolidate and diversify bilateral cooperation.

Trade between Morocco and UAE stood at $ 26 million in 1999, with Morocco's exports to the Gulf nation totaling $ 7 million.