The French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Mr. Jean Yves le Drian, on Monday, November 09,2000, commended the “important” efforts made by Morocco in the search for a solution to the Libyan crisis.
Morocco’s important efforts are part of the relaunch of the political process under the aegis of the United Nations to which the Kingdom is making a “significant contribution”, Mr. Le Drian pointed out in Rabat at a joint press briefing with the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, following bilateral talks.
The French top diplomat welcomed, in this regard, the hosting by the Kingdom of Libyan talks in Bouznika, stressing the importance of Morocco being fully a stakeholder in all international initiatives regarding Libya.
He noted that there are encouraging signals in this issue, including the maintenance of the ceasefire and the organization of the Libyan political Forum in Tunis.
France intends to work with Morocco to strengthen this positive dynamic, he said, while insisting on the need to put an end to foreign interference in this country.
Referring to the Malian issue, Mr. Le Drian underlined the importance that transition continues in accordance with the commitments that have been made.
France and Morocco share the same concerns on this issue and intend to continue their coordination on Mali and the Sahel, he said.
For his part, Mr. Bourita stressed that Morocco and France have a particular interest in the stability of Libya, recalling that the Kingdom has hosted Libyan talks which have led to progress.
He also underlined the need to make the best use of the positive developments in this issue, particularly with the ceasefire and the political process.
Regarding the Sahel, the Minister said that Morocco and France are consulting each other on the situation in Mali and the terrorist threat in the region.
He also underlined the convergence of views between Morocco and France and their very good coordination at the multilateral level, recalling that the meeting with the French Minister takes place on the eve of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the Barcelona process.
