Hollande receives King Mohammad VI for bilateral talks

French President Francois Hollande on Monday received King Mohammad VI of Morocco for just under one hour to discuss bilateral relations and regional and international questions, the Elysee Palace announced.
The two men met to crown the renewal of full bilateral ties, particularly in the area of judicial cooperation, after this cooperation stalled for 11 months over Moroccan reservations about procedures by French authorities regarding Moroccan citizens and officials in France.
But the lull in cooperation was ended by an agreement January 31 between the Justice Ministers of both countries who signed a reinforced accord for future exchanges in several areas.
Diplomatic sources in Paris stressed the importance of cooperation between France and Morocco on judiciary matters, especially in the case of investigations into terrorist, illegal immigrant or smuggling networks.
During the meeting, both leaders "expressed determination to fight together against terrorism," the diplomatic source said, requesting anonymity.
King Mohammad VI met with Hollande during a private visit to the French capital, official sources also said.
France is the largest European investor in Morocco and has solid economic and trade ties with the North African country and has also advocated closer European Union trade relations with Morocco.
In addition, France has given long-time political support to Morocco in its diplomatic initiative to find a solution to the Polisario and Western Sahara problem and Paris and Rabat are close on many international questions.