To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Ministers have visited Morocco since May 1997; and if he will make a statement on UK-Morocco relations. [115665]

Nine Ministers have visited Morocco in an official capacity since May 1997:

Derek Fatchett, Minister of State, FCO, May 1998

Dawn Primarolo, Minister for Customs and Excise, July 1998

Robin Cook, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, (with His Royal Highness, The Prince of Wales) July 1999 (to attend King Hassan II of Moroccos funeral)

Peter Hain, Minister of State, FCO, Dec 1999

Richard Caborn, Minister of Trade, May 2000

Ben Bradshaw, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, FCO, September 2001

Margaret Beckett and Michael Meacher, Department of the Environment, Oct-Nov2001

Clare Short, Secretary of State, Department for International Development, September 2002.

UK Morocco relations are strong as indicated by the meeting of my hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with Mohammed Benaissa, the Moroccan Foreign Minister in London on 20 May 2003. After the meeting they both referred positively to relations between Morocco and the UK.