Tunisian president expected today in Morocco for first official visit

Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali is expected today in Morocco on a first official visit to consolidate bilateral trade and boost Maghreban unity.

The visit, the first of its kind since Ben Ali's coming to power in 1987, will be marked by a meeting with King Hassan II. He will also deliver a speech before the Moroccan Parliament in Rabat on Tuesday.

The talks are expected to be global and deep on means of giving a new impetus to bilateral cooperation, Tunisian official sources said.

The Tunisian head of state will be accompanied by a ministerial and business delegation who will examine with their Moroccan peers prospects for increasing the flow of trade and for creating a free exchange area between the two North African states.

Bilateral trade is in favor of Morocco with a total amount of $103 million in 1998 against $90 million in 1997.

The talks are also expected to focus on the future prospects of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), confined to a state of paralysis since 1994 due to Algeria's direct involvement in the issue of Moroccan Sahara and to the Lockerbie issue opposing a UMA member country, Libya, to some Western states.