Rajoy takes traditional route south for first visit: Morocco

Mariano Rajoy's first official trip abroad as Spain's leader will be to Morocco, following in the footsteps of his predecessors Felipe González, José María Aznar and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. It had been unclear until now whether the conservative prime minister would keep up the tradition, given that his Popular Party (PP) government stated early on that relations with the EU would be a priority because of Spain's delicate economic situation.

But Rajoy himself told Efe news agency that Morocco will be his first destination "in a relatively short period of time," and that he spoke on the phone with King Mohammed VI on January 3. Government sources said the visit will take place next week, after Rajoy receives French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Monday.

Bilateral relations between countries separated by 14 kilometers of water — the narrowest point of the Strait of Gibraltar — have been periodically strained by issues such as immigration, fishing and territorial rights over Ceuta and Melilla, Spain's two enclaves in North Africa. Under the previous PP administration of José María Aznar, Spain and Morocco had a well-publicized spat over a deserted islet that Spaniards call Perejil and Moroccans refer to as Leila.

Adding to the delicate situation is the fact that the historic victory of moderate Islamists in Morocco's legislative elections on November 25 raised some concern in Spain — as did the conservatives' November victory in Spain among Moroccans. Abdelilah Benkirane, the leader of the Justice and Development Party (PJD), was named prime minister by the Moroccan monarch after what were probably the fairest elections in the country's history.

So far, goodwill seems to prevail on both sides. Morocco's Foreign Minister Saad Eddine el Othmani expressed a pragmatic view of things on Monday, saying that "we need to reinforce our points of agreement and leave on hold those where we disagree."

On Wednesday, Morocco's foreign affairs delegate minister, Youssef Amrani, met with Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo and Rajoy himself in Madrid, a clear sign of how seriously Spain is taking its relationship with its neighbor to the south. Amrani, though not the actual foreign minister, sits on the Moroccan Cabinet by decision of Mohammed VI and has served as consul to Spain.

One of the most delicate issues on the agenda is Morocco's fishing treaty with the EU, which the European Parliament suspended in December. Under the agreement, over 100 European fishing boats — mostly Spanish — operated in Moroccan waters, for which the latter country received around 36 million euros. Spain is now asking for compensation for its fleet, and estimating industry losses at 15 or 16 million a year.