Comoran and Moroccan foreign ministers meet in Rabat

The Comoros Islands' foreign minister, Mohamed Yamani Souif, who started on Tuesday a visit to Morocco, met on Wednesday with his Moroccan peer, Mohamed Benaissa.

The Comoran official, who is touring some Arab and African countries, will hand to King Hassan II a message from the president of the Comoros Islands, Othmane Ghazali.

Souif said the talks with Benaissa were fruitful and dealt with means of consolidating bilateral cooperation.

He also met with Abdulaziz Othman Al-Twaijri, director-general of the Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (an OIC body, based in Rabat)

In Cairo where he was before coming to Morocco, the Comoran foreign minister said his country relies on Morocco's support and praised Moroccan assistance in the training of executives, as some 5,000 students are studying in Moroccan universities and institutes.

Souif met during his stay in Egypt with secretary general of the Cairo-based Arab League, Esmat Abdul Meguid, and Egyptian officials, including Foreign Minister Amr Moussa.

The foreign minister of the Comoros Islands said, "Morocco has always voiced adherence to the territorial integrity of the Comoro islands and was one of the first Arab and Islamic countries to denounce the separation of the island of Anjouan." As such, Morocco cannot be excluded from the ongoing consultations on the fate of the republic of the Comoros islands, he added.