Mariano Rajoy in Rabat: thorny issues on the table for discussion

The audience was attended by Moroccan Foreign Minister Saadeddine Othmani, director of the cabinet of the Spanish PM Jorge Moragas, and Spain’s ambassador to Morocco Alberto Jose Navarro.

 Mr Rajoy arrived on Wednesday morning in Rabat on an official visit to the Kingdom, the first to a foreign country since he took office.

 The head of the new government of Morocco Abdelilah Benkirane, leader of the Islamic Justice and Development Party (PJD), took his first steps on the world stage on  Wednesday, receiving his  Spanish counterpart Mariano Rajoy, who has also  recently come to power, AP reports.

The visit of Mr. Rajoy, which aims to give new impetus to bilateral relations between the two neighbors came as Morocco and Spain are both embroiled in  trhe socio-economic problems of unemployment and  they must resolve  a number of difficult issues bilaterally.

 Speaking to the Spanish press, Mariano Rajo discussed democratic reforms undertaken by King Mohammed VI said Morocco "is an example for many other countries."

 Spain "will be at the side of Morocco to contribute to the success of this neighboring country because there is no country in the world than Spain  which is more interested in and relies on a democratic, prosperous and stable Morocco. "

 Moreover, the sensitive issues between the two countries include fishing, security, illegal immigration and the question of the Western Sahara.

 "We need a long and patient dialogue to resolve all the issues on which we do not agree," the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Saad Eddine Othmani,  said to AFP before the visit.

 Mr Rajoy will have to deal with the blocking, by the European Parliament in December of a fisheries agreement between the EU and Morocco which led Spain to demand compensation for its fleet.

 Spain is a country which is a very large consumer of fish and it is the primary beneficiary of this agreement it seeks to renegotiate "as soon as possible" to save its fisheries market.

 For its part, Morocco will ratify the agreement with the EU on trade in agricultural products, that hinders Madrid which does not wish a tsunami  type tidal wave hitting its market.

In addition to the   "fish tagainst the tomato" dossier there is also illegal immigration, security and the Western Sahara which should be part of the discussions.

"To fight against illegal immigration, we must invest in the south, and Spanish companies are welcome in Morocco," said Othmani, noting that there are some "500 to 600 Spanish companies" operating in the kingdom.

Because of its short duration, the visit of Mr Rajoy is above all an occasion for the two new heads of government to get to know each other after the November parliamentary elections in Morocco which led the Islamic Benkirane and Spainish head of the right to power.

In fact, according to Mr. Othmani, all "tricky" questions are to be discussed bilaterally between Ministers before being brought before the Joint Committee chaired by the two Prime Ministers.

Meanwhile, the "priority should be given to economic issues as the situation is difficult for the entire region."

In this area the two partners can help each other. Suffering from the economic crisis, Spanish SMEs can set up in Morocco, a country that has grown by about 5% in 2011, where labor is relatively cheap.

And Morocco, which also suffers the effects of the financial crisis of the EU's main partner, wants to attract  more investments that perform well.

Despite a balance of trade deficit for Morocco, exports to Spain have increased by 27.37% in 2011 when imports increased by 12%.

But investments from Spain to Morocco fell last year, although Madrid remains the second largest investor after France.

Approximately 800,000 Moroccans working in Morocco, and in the last decade 51,750 Moroccans obtained the Spanish nationality, when this figure barely exceeded 780 cases in 1995, according to the advisory board of the Moroccan Community Abroad (CCME).