Spain wishes to reach with Morocco a fisheries accord

Spanish Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries Jesus Posada, who started on Tuesday a two-day official visit to Morocco, said his talks with Moroccan officials on the fisheries dossier will seek "to reach an agreement satisfying both sides."

Posada told reporters he would discuss with Moroccan officials "all formulas likely to lead to an agreement satisfying the two sides."

He added that his visit, the first to the kingdom since his appointment to the post last May, is meant to establish contacts with Moroccan officials and explore means of upgrading bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, Spain said it was ready to negotiate a different accord based on the creation of joint ventures.

Official sources in Madrid had said on the eve of Posada's visit that talks will focus on the evolution of negotiations between Morocco and the European Union on the fisheries accord and Posada himself said that Spain and the Spanish fisheries sector grant importance to reaching an accord with Morocco.