(MAP) Washington – The mechanism of regular political consultations, the Sahara issue, and strengthening economic relations between the United States and Morocco have been the focus of the interview, which took place Thursday in Washington between U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and his Moroccan counterpart, Saad El Dine Otmani.
“We discussed with the Secretary of State mechanisms for political consultation and agreed to sign, in the future, a memorandum of understanding providing for the holding, on a regular basis, these consultations,” said El Otmani , after this interview.
The two sides also discussed economic relations between Morocco and the United States, the minister said, noting that the volume of trade and investment in Morocco US are below the expectations of the governments of both countries. “We agreed in this regard, to hold a forum bringing together the Moroccan businessmen and their American peers,” he added.
The meeting also focused on the Moroccan Sahara issue, said Mr. El Otmani, claiming to have seized the opportunity “to express our views on the process of negotiations and talks and discuss humanitarian issues, confidence-building measures, and the efforts of the personal envoy of UN Secretary General for the Sahara “.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, in this context, highlighted the need to focus on the living conditions of people detained in the Tindouf camps, as well as the imperative to conduct a census these populations in accordance with international law.
Internationally, the two sides reviewed the security threats that threaten the region, due to traffic on a large scale weapons of the former regime Gaddafi. Mr. El Otmani highlighted the disposal of Morocco to cooperate with all countries of the region to cope with these threats and their humanitarian impact. “We also discussed the Syrian crisis and reiterated Morocco’s commitment to work to stop violence and support the people and the Syrian opposition while working with the brotherly and friendly countries, including members of the Arab League to find a solution to this crisis, “the minister said.
