Morocco, US agree to second FTA negotiations round in March

Morocco and the USA agreed to hold a second round of negotiations for the conclusion of a bilateral free trade accord (FTA) in March in Morocco, Ms. Cathy Novelli, chief US negotiator, announced on Friday.

The two sides held this week a first round of negotiations under the chairmanship of Delegate Minister for Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, Taieb Fassi Fihri, who heads the Moroccan negotiating team, and US Trade Representative, Robert Zoellick.

This week's round "was extremely productive," Novelli said at a teleconference, adding the round helped devise a working plan able to pave the way for the materialization of the FTA project before the end of the year.

The US official lauded the convergence of views between the Moroccan and American delegations on several aspects of the projected accord.

The US government is fully aware of Morocco's concerns regarding the country's basic economic sectors, particularly agriculture, she said, underlining "negotiations are conceived to take into account the concerns specific to Morocco."

The projected Morocco-US FTA will consolidate and enlarge the already existing ties with a key partner in North Africa and the Middle East, Novelli said.

Destined to promoting mutually advantageous exchanges, the FTA is also to help Morocco impose itself as a privileged center of interest for the business community, she said, renewing Washington's determination to extend necessary backing to the reforms ushered in by Morocco to spur investments.