French cooperation minister in Morocco, 3 billion in cooperation in 1988

French minister in charge of cooperation and francophony, Charles Josselin, arrived this Friday in Rabat on a two-day visit to Morocco.

Josselin will co-chair with Moroccan minister of Foreign affairs and cooperation, Mohamed Benaissa, the meeting of the Moroccan-French standing committee on cultural scientific and technical cooperation.

The meeting will discuss means of materializing the new cooperation prospects identified during Benaissa's visit to France last May 12-13. The meeting will provide opportunity to carry on dialogue at a high-level between the two governments in political realms and in matters of bilateral cooperation, spokesman for the French foreign department said.

A statement circulated by the French embassy in Rabat said the various forms of Moroccan-French cooperation totalled in 1988 more than 3 billion FF, which represents about 1.6 % of Morocco's GDP.

The French ministry of economy and finance contributed 60.2 % of the amount in the form of grants or loans, the French foreign department 9.9 % while other ministerial departments, public institutions and territorial councils contributed 29.9 %.

France remains Morocco's first donor of public assistance to development as 51 % of the total of this assistance received by the kingdom in 1988 came from France, the statement said.