Moroccan - French committee resumes meetings

The French-Moroccan high committee has concluded its first meeting in Rabat, headed by French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin and his Moroccan counterpart Abdellatif El-Filali, and attended by members of both governments including ministers of foreign, finance, industry, commerce, education and social affairs.

Moroccan sources said the 3-day meetings will tackle important issues such as commercial exchanges, economic cooperation, relations with the European Union, and foreign debts.

It is expected that during the second meeting Jospin will discuss an additional proposal to settle Moroccan debts to France, which represent 20% of total Moroccan foreign debts (about 21 billion dollars).

During the visit of the French minister of industry and finance to Morocco, Paris agreed to transfer (1.4) billion French Francs of debts to investments in the Moroccan and French companies that will work in Morocco.