Moroccan-Indian commission to meet end of this year in Rabat

The Moroccan-Indian joint commission will meet in the last three months of this year, it was officially announced in Rabat.

During a meeting in Rabat, Moroccan Minister of Trade, Industry and Handicraft Alami Tazi and India's ambassador to Morocco said the commission's meeting will seek to step up and diversify trade between the two countries.

The Indian diplomat said Indian Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, who visited Morocco in mid-February is satisfied with the results of his talks with Moroccan King Hassan II and other Moroccan officials.

The two countries signed during the visit three cooperation accords in matters of investments, tourism and information.

Trade between Morocco and India were worth in 1998 3.49 Billion DH (U.S. $364 million), including DH 3.08 billion (US $321 million) of Morocco's exports and 414.0 million DH (US $45.9 million) in imports.

India, Morocco's third client, imports from Morocco phosphates, fertilizers and phosphoric acid.

A US $230 million-worth joint venture between India's K.K. Birla group and Morocco's Phosphates corporation (OCP) is considered as a model of south-south cooperation.

The joint venture, India's largest investment in a foreign country, will annually produce 1 million tons of sulfuric acid and 330,000 tons of phosphoric acid. The production unit is being built in Jorf Lasfar (220 km south of Rabat).