Morocco and Italy sign agreement on illegal immigration
Morocco and Italy concluded Tuesday in Rabat a cooperation agreement to fight illegal immigration.
The accord was initialed by Moroccan minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Abdellatif Filali and Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini who paid a visit to Morocco on July 26-28.
The agreement "will contribute to calming down spirits and tensions and to create a more favorable climate than the existing one," said Filali at a joint news conference with Dini following the signing ceremony.
Under the accord, the two countries will cooperate in the identification of Moroccan nationals who enter Italy illegally and in their repatriation at the expense of the Italian government, Dini said. This accord, he said, is an example of the cooperation that must exist between two friendly countries.
The Italian official added that the Moroccan community settled in Italy (which is 115,000 strong) is highly appreciated by the Italian people.
The issue of illegal immigration was also discussed last February during the visit of Italian Interior Minister Giorgio Napolitano to Morocco. This visit was crowned by the signing of a convention for cooperation against drug trafficking and organized crime.
The two countries also signed a cultural cooperation agreement that updates, as put by Filali, the bilateral convention signed more than 20 years ago. The new accord provides for mechanisms meeting the evolution of bilateral relations, Filali said.
Regarding the conversion of Morocco's debt to Italy into private investments, the Italian foreign minister said his government will examine the issue while taking into account the economic interests of the two countries as well as expectations of the Moroccan government.
Dini, who wound up his visit to Morocco on Tuesday, was received on Monday by King Hassan II and conferred with Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi and Economy and Finance Minister Fathallah Oualalou, and held a working session with Foreign Minister Abdellatif Filali.