RABAT: Saudi Arabia and Morocco Thursday signed two memoranda of understandings for cooperation in the fields of constructional development and diplomatic studies. The MoUs were signed on the sideline of the Saudi-Moroccan Joint Commission meeting here which also concluded here Thursday. Prince Saud Al-Faisal, Foreign Minister, and his Moroccan counterpart Al-Tayeb Al-Fasi Al-Fihri, jointly presided over the commission meeting. From the Saudi side the MoUs were signed by Abdulrahman Bin Hasan Aal Al-Sheikh, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs for Cities Planning, while Yousef Al-Omerani, Undersecretary of the Ministry of Foreign and Cooperation Affairs, signed for Morocco. The first MoU aims at enhancing the current relations between the two countries through activating and coordinating the efforts and exchange of information and cooperation in the field of comprehensive constructional development that matches the environmental, social and economic specifications in the two countries. The agreement between the Diplomatic Studies Institute of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Moroccan Royal Academy for Diplomacy aims at exchanging of information, teaching and curricula on the issues relating to learning of foreign languages and international law. Meanwhile, the commission, Prince Saud said, has made great strides toward the joint investment through inserting the private sector on its agenda. “It is a correct and beneficial approach,” he said. Addressing a joint press conference with Al-Fihri, Prince Saud said the private sector represents a basic pillar for development. In response to a question on the situation in Egypt and a wave of protests in some Arab countries, Prince Saud expressed surprise on the notion that these protests were triggered by foreign hands. “We could always distinguish between what is imported and what is real,” he said. He expressed the hope that Egyptians should be allowed to solve their problems by themselves. On the Saharan issue, he said Saudi Arabia was closely following the developments. He also regretted that the issue has pushed the Moroccan-Algerian relations to a new low. “This problem would be resolved soon,” he said. A communique issued at the end of the joint commission meeting stressed on further boosting Saudi-Moroccan relations and cooperation between the two countries. The two countries agreed on exchanging expertise in tourism, antiquities and other fields, the communique said. On regional and international developments, the two sides expressed identical views and stressed the importance of joint Arab action and cooperation as well as unity of Palestinians. The Moroccan side hailed efforts of King Abdullah, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, to defend Arab causes topped by the Palestinian issue. On developments in Egypt and Tunisia, the two sides expressed confidence in the two countries' ability to restore order based on the will of their peoples without foreign interference. The Moroccan side expressed support for King Abdullah's call for dialogue among followers of religions, cultures and civilizations. The two sides agreed to hold the next session of the Saudi-Moroccan Joint Commission in Saudi Arabia. Earlier addressing the joint commission, Prince Saud called for exploiting the opportunities created by worldwide economic openness to increase intra-Arab trade from its current level of 12 percent, noting that Arab trade with the European Union has jumped to about 63 percent in the last few years. He also called on Moroccans to benefit from offers by the Saudi Development Fund, citing the fund's financing development projects in Morocco amounting to SR1.55 billion.
