Mercosur experts propose trade deal with Morocco

The Common Market Group, mustering national coordinators of the four Mercosur member-countries will propose to their heads of state encounter early next month the negotiation of a trade deal with Morocco, it was officially announced in Buenos Aires.

Argentina, which is currently holding the Mercosur chairmanship had already notified to Moroccan foreign minister, during his April's visit, that the regional economic grouping (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay) has agreed on the principle of negotiating a preferential agreement with Morocco, in the run-up to the creation of a free trade zone.

The Moroccan foreign minister who had toured in April Argentina, Brazil and Chile, had also called for enlarged cooperation between Mercosur and the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA/grouping Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia).

Morocco is seen in this region of the world as a platform between Latin America on the one hand and the Arab world, Africa and Europe, on the other, owing to the agreements linking Morocco to African, Arab and Mediterranean countries and to its privileged relations with the European Union and with the USA, with which it concluded on June 15 a free trade agreement.