Morocco, Libya sign co-operation agreements
2009-10-28
A set of agreements inked last week in Rabat tightened ties between Morocco and Libya.
By Sarah Touahri for Magharebia in Rabat – 28/10/09
 [Siham Ali] Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmudi met with his Moroccan counterpart last week during the 8th session of the Moroccan-Libyan High Joint Commission. |
Morocco and Libya are consolidating their bilateral political and economic ties through a series of co-operation agreements signed recently in Rabat.
The agreements, signed on Thursday and Friday (October 22nd and 23rd) on the occasion of the 8th session of the Moroccan-Libyan High Joint Commission, cover a number of fields including tourism and industry.
The prime ministers of the two countries, who co-chaired the high-level meeting, expressed their desire to further strengthen links at all levels.
"The benefits of Moroccan-Libyan co-operation will provide a hub for future co-operation between the other Arab countries," Libyan Prime Minister Al-Baghdadi Ali Al-Mahmudi said at the event.
"I hope the work will continue with economic consultation and investment meetings," added the Libyan official.
Al-Mahmudi also expressed hope that bilateral trade would be developed further, since its current level was lower than desired. In 2008, he noted, it amounted to barely 1.149 million dirhams. He suggested that a permanent committee be set up to implement the agreements and expand economic co-operation.
The Libyan official also called for partnerships to be established in the areas of infrastructure, real estate, subsidised housing, urban planning and the craft industry, and encouraged businessmen from the two countries to meet regularly.
In the same vein, Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi called on Libyan businessmen to become more involved with Morocco.
"Morocco can provide them with all the facilities they need, along with considerable opportunities for investment," he said.
El Fassi also stressed that a paper on various political matters had been signed. "This document deals with a number of Arab issues", including the construction of the Greater Maghreb, he said.
The minister called the consolidation of Moroccan-Libyan relations "an essential milestone and fundamental pillar" for economic integration at the regional level. He further said that the strengthening of bilateral links would help achieve the building of the Greater Maghreb "as an aspiration of the peoples of the region, an inescapable strategic choice, and an effective tool in co-operation, solidarity and complementarity among the countries of the Maghreb".
According to political science professor Fouad Madani, the high commission's discussions came at a significant time, given Libya's current presidency of the Arab Maghreb Union, the African Union and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, and within the context of the present session of the UN General Assembly.
The first agreement signed during the meeting concerns co-operation in the field of tourism in the period 2010-2011. The second deals with civil defence and aims at working together to deal with possible natural or humanitarian disasters.
Also emerging from the meeting was a draft memorandum of understanding aimed at strengthening competitiveness in certain industrial sectors, and a draft agreement to boost the quality of the cargo and customer services of the nations' airlines. Yet another draft agreement was signed to prevent, uncover and stop customs offences.
A draft co-operation agreement was signed encouraging investment in Libya and the Moroccan Development and Investment Agency, as was a draft agreement on the creation of a Moroccan-Libyan business council.
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ليبي Posted 25 days ago
By God, Al Baghdadi, what do the Moroccans you went to sign with have? They only have decorators and hairdressers. May God guide you, that’s all. Anyway, they talk about an Arab Maghreb, they say these are only good at saying "give to us, give to us," like a woman.
Acharif Moulay Abdellah BOUSKRAOUI Posted 24 days ago
Libya is a brother country and a friend of Morocco. It is a country governed by a man of great wisdom, a man who deserves the respect not only of Libya, but also of all North Africans and the world. Libya owes its growing pre-eminence to this man, whose name is etched forever into history and in the heart of the Maghreb and west of Libya, and is now reaping the fruits of President Moamer Kadhafi’s giant history. As a Maghreb person, with all the respect I owe His Honour, I want the president, the general director of the wise, to put everything into the Arab Maghreb Union and to establish and encourage our autonomy in the Morocco’s southern provinces, both in the Moroccan Sahara and the rest. Mr President, your support for our project for autonomy is the form of the Arab Maghreb Union and will make our states stronger and able to overcome all our problems and resolve the problems of the people of Maghreb origin. Mr President, you are in the best position to know and understand how we are going to resolve these problems and create this union. Mr President, with one sole gesture of your hand, we will proceed to a union and you will become a giant in the eyes of all the countries of the Maghreb. Mr President, have their wisdom. Mr President, please accept my most distinguished respects.
Essam Posted 19 days ago
to the Lybie...what Morocca has, is not available in your country you illiterate. Morocco far exceed its neighbours of the maghreb in all aspects especially of industrial and intellectual realm, except for the [GDP] which is not reflective of the population but rather the resources available to this population. Morocco will school you closed minded tent-sleepy heads. PROUD MOROCCAN to the Bone
Karim Posted 18 days ago
I can hear that Libyan doesn't have any knowledge, Morocco has a lot to give to the entire Maghreb; praise be to God, who gave the country a lot of his grace, for example, fruit, vegetables, fish, phosphate, zinc, manpower and the list is long, praise be to God.
الحوار Posted 18 days ago
My brother Libyan, you have exactly expressed my opinion. I agree with you without reservation. If anyone has an opposite opinion, I invite him to learn more about Moroccans, both the people and the government. Before you reply, read history without shame in order to determine your position regarding Morocco. The alarming increase in hallucinogenic pills (Kerkoubi) at low prices has led to high rates of crime in its different forms, overcrowding of prisons and psychological treatment clinics, organised crime (robbery of properties, of kids, forgery...) and it is hard to control.
youssef el madani Posted 13 days ago
Mr Bouskraoui- The inept delivery in your speech is clearly significant. Worse yet, it increases line by line! For these reasons, I suggest that you abstain from commenting any further in the future. Moreover, I will permit myself to tell you that your “literary” style seems more indigestible than anything else I can think of. In a word, your contribution is completely useless, with all due respect...
mohamed Posted 11 days ago
great and helpful.thinks any way
Anonymous Posted 9 days ago
Is this gentleman, Mr Madani, free to do what he wants? We are not El Moudjahed or ENTV? We have a saying here that goes: “The hen lays eggs and the rooster gets a pain in the rear.”
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