Great Britain, Morocco's third largest outlet, Ambassador

The United Kingdom is the third largest outlet of Moroccan exports and the rate of coverage of Moroccan imports by exports has reached 131.9% which is the highest rate in the last five years, said British ambassador in Morocco Haydon Warren-Gash.

The diplomat told "La Nouvelle Tribune" weekly trade exchanges between the two countries were estimated in 2003 at 11.5 billion DH (US$ 1.2 billion), and Britain is the fourth tourist-emitting country in the same year, yielding around 1.4 billion DH (US$ 155.5 million) in tourism receipts.

Regarding British investments, he said his country was the sixth largest investor between 1992 and 2000, pointing out that 30,000 Moroccans are working in the 150 British textile plants present in the north African country.

Textile also accounts for 50% of the two-way trade, he said voicing confidence that other possibilities do exist to intensify trade. He cited in this context tourism, stressing that his country supports the Moroccan investment program that seeks to attract 10 million tourists by 2010.

He also singled out the agro-food, financial, education, health care, oil and gas sectors as other promising sectors for British investments in Morocco.

Warren-Gash further described Moroccan-British political ties as "excellent," before announcing that a British parliamentary delegation will be visiting Morocco next February.

The Moroccan reform process was hailed by the British ambassador who stressed that reforms are no easy task and that benefits are not visible in the short run. "Morocco has made remarkable strides in the economic field as well as in social corporate environment and democratic practice.