King Mohammed sends message to German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder

Morocco's Foreign Affairs and cooperation minister, Mohamed Benaissa met in Berlin on Friday with German peer, Joschka Fischer to whom he handed a message from King Mohammed VI to the German Chancellor, Gerhard Schroeder, currently on a trip abroad.

Both sides examined the Sahara issue and the political settlement plan proposed by the United Nations Secretary General's Personal Envoy for the Sahara, James Baker.

Germany, which is currently a non-permanent Security Council's (SC) member, will play "a constructive role" during debates on the Sahara issue at the SC, said German diplomatic sources.

Benaissa further examined with his German peer bilateral relations, which both sides termed as "excellent" and marked by efficiency and regularity.

Germany plays a central role in North-South cooperation, which Morocco values in various realms, said Benaissa, who invited Fischer to visit Morocco. The visit is said to be scheduled during the second semester of this year.

Touching on Morocco's solid relations with the European Union, the Moroccan FM reiterated King Mohammed VI's wish to see Morocco benefiting from a status better than association and little less than full-fledged membership.

He further briefed his German peer of the democratic advances achieved in the Kingdom in human rights' realms and social and economic development.

Benaissa arrived in Berlin earlier in the day, part of a tour that includes London and Washington.