Visiting Italian president meets Moroccan officials

Italian President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, who started on Tuesday an official visit to Morocco, met on Wednesday with Moroccan premier and with speakers of the two parliamentary chambers.

After meeting with King Mohammed VI on Wednesday and attending a dinner hosted in his honor by the sovereign on Tuesday, the Italian head of state held a work session with the head of the Moroccan government, Abderrahmane Youssoufi.

Following the meeting, Youssoufi said it was "very useful" and covered Morocco's relations with Europe in general and with Italy in particular. He added that president Ciampi underscored Morocco's role in the Mediterranean area and in the Euro-Mediterranean framework.

The meeting, Youssoufi went on, also covered the Moroccan Sahara issue, the difficult situation in which the Palestinian people are living and Mediterranean and African development prospects.

The two sides also surveyed the upcoming session of the G8 in Canada that will examine the Morocco-supported New initiative for Africa (NEPAD).

On the same day, the Italian president met successively with speakers of the house of representatives, Abdelouahed Radi, and of the chamber of advisors, Mustapha Okacha. Talks covered relations between the two Mediterranean countries' legislative bodies, issues related to the Moroccan community settled in Italy and economic cooperation.

The Italian president left Morocco this Thursday at the end of a three-day official visit to Morocco where he also held a meeting on Wednesday with King Mohammed VI and attended a dinner hosted in his honor by the sovereign.