Brussels / Luxembourg, 24/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - At the Fisheries Council to be held in Luxembourg on Wednesday, Spain is expected to oppose continuation of negotiations with a view to a new fisheries agreement with Morocco. According to Spanish diplomatic sources, the adoption of a new negotiating brief, which would allow higher financial compensation, would be "suicide" and would bode ill for negotiations with other third countries. The amount demanded by Moroccan authorities corresponds to four times the price paid under the previous fisheries agreement, note Spanish diplomats, who also stress that Morocco's alternative proposal aimed at allowing just one non-industrial fleet to fish in its waters is not viable, in so far as the zone proposed by Moroccan authorities is 12 miles off-shore when these boats cannot go beyond two miles. Under such circumstances, Spain will choose the implementation of a plan to restructure the fleet concerned as of July this year.
The above attitude was confirmed on Tuesday in Luxembourg on the fringe of the Agriculture Council by Spanish Minister Miguel Arias Canete, who specified that there cannot be an agreement on "all segments of the fleet in reasonable technical conditions and with proportional financial compensation".
In a letter addressed to Commissioner Franz Fischler, the Moroccan fisheries minister Saïd Chbaatou insists on Morocco's determination to pursue negotiations. The letter does not contribute anything new, states a Commission spokesman who notes that Morocco simply restates its demand for EUR 90 million in annual financial compensation and its alternative proposal for craft fishing.