HM the King's commitment to LDCs' development was given a concrete substance when HM the King decided to write off debts owed to it by some least developed African countries as well as to drop custom duties on their products exported to Morocco, Mohamed Ouzzine told MAP on the sidelines of the ministerial meeting on reinforcing and mobilising financial resources for LDCs.

    The numerous visits paid by HM the King to the African countries have opened up new prospects for fruitful, innovative cooperation, he said.

    Morocco has always upheld the causes of LDCs and their interests both regionally and internationally, added Ouzzine, who recalled that Morocco, had organized, in June 2003 in Rabat, an extraordinary Ministerial Conference on LDCs.

    The conference was designed to pave the way for better strategies to respond to the major concerns of LDCs in terms of economic challenges and development.

    Morocco’s policy in Africa, which falls within the scope of South-South cooperation, covers such key sectors as agriculture, food security, health, education and vocational training, drinking water and fisheries, Ouzzine said.

    This cooperation, either at bilateral or triangular levels, involving donor countries and international organizations or multilateral donors, has made our country a leader in this area on the continent, the official said on the sidelines of the preparatory meeting for the 4th UN Conference on LDCs, due next year in Turkey.