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".

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Morocco delegation leaves Libyan festivities over Polisario inclusion 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.