Moroccan - Libyan joint high cooperation commission meets

Morocco and Libya opened Wednesday here the third session of their joint high cooperation commission to look into ways of boosting partnership in industry, trade and agriculture.

Moroccan Premier Abderrahmane Youssoufi said during the opening ceremony that, "The Moroccan-Libyan trade exchanges have a promising future in view of the two countries' complementary economic potentials." He also voiced satisfaction over the cooperation steps covered by Morocco and Libya in various sectors and stressed the need for Arab countries to enhance their economic and industrial complementarity to be able to counter challenges posed by globalization.

The reinforcement of inter-Arab economic and commercial ties at the bilateral or regional levels will speed up the building of a common Arab free trade zone, the Moroccan prime minister said.

He also deplored the exclusion of Libya from the Euro-Mediterranean partnership and renewed Morocco's call for the integration of Libya in the Euro-Mediterranean process.

For his part, Libyan Prime Minister Ahmed Mohamed Al Mankouch, called for the consolidation of partnership between the two Maghreban countries mainly in economic, industrial and agricultural fields and stressed the need to overcome the obstacles hampering the development of trade and investments flow between the two countries.

He also praised Morocco's stand regarding the embargo imposed on his country and affirmed that the Mediterranean basin should be a haven of peace, security and stability.

The Moroccan-Libyan commission, which was set up in 1990, holds regular meetings alternately in Morocco and Libya to follow up joint cooperation actions and identify the sectors needing further coordination.

The commission seeks to enhance complementarity between the two Maghreban countries in all sectors.

Morocco and Libya are members of the Arab Maghreb Union, which also groups Tunisia, Algeria and Mauritania. The embargo imposed on Libya has contributed to freezing the action of the union, as Libya criticizes the respect of UMA countries of these sanctions.