France will help Morocco with debt problem

France is aware of the burden of debt on Morocco's development and is willing to help Morocco "as best as possible," said French foreign minister, Hubert Vedrine.

The French official who visited Morocco last week told Moroccan TV channel "2M" that France is well aware that indebtedness cripples Morocco's ambitions and stressed that his country wishes to help and encourage Morocco.

This problem, he went on, is being granted attention by the two countries' finance and economy departments and will be on the agenda of the meeting next October of prime ministers of France and Morocco.

Over the week end, Moroccan Prime Minister, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, deplored that indebtedness is a serious problem that strangles the government's action and called for a "political" rather than "technical" handling of the issue.

To a question on the increasing flows of Moroccan illegal immigrants to France, the French official said his country wishes to fight this phenomenon, especially that people are exploited by networks of smugglers. He added that his country wants laws to be respected and re-launch a more general policy of development so that cooperation-recipient countries really benefit from these actions.

Although, Vedrine, acknowledged that there are some delays in the promised European Union's assistance to control illegal immigration, he underlined that there is a genuine commitment and the process has been put on track.