Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its support for Morocco's territorial integrity, expressing advocacy to Morocco's efforts to settle the Sahara dispute, according to a Moroccan-Saudi joint communiqué released here Friday.

 King Abdallah Ibn Abdelaziz of Saudi Arabia also reiterated his country's support to Morocco's project to grant substantial autonomy to its southern provinces, the Sahara, that the North African kingdom has devised to settle the three-decade-long Sahara dispute opposing Morocco to the Algerian-backed Polisario separatists, who lay claims to Morocco's southern provinces, which Morocco retrieved in 1975, added the joint communiqué, coached at the end of a two-day official visit to Morocco of the Saudi monarch.
 
    The Saudi head of State also voiced hope this initiative, which enjoys a large international approval, would contribute to settling this dispute in line with the efforts of the international community under the aegis of the United Nations, and for the good of stability, development and progress in the Maghreb Arab region (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia).
 
    Touching on bilateral relations, Morocco and Saudi Arabia voiced satisfaction with their "fruitful and constructive" ties, underlining their resolve to give them new impetus and open larger prospects to meet the aspirations and expectations of their peoples, the communiqué went on to say.
 
    The two monarchs also gave their instructions to iron out all difficulties and remove all obstacles hindering the natural flow of investments, goods and services between the two countries. 
 
    On this occasion, the two monarchs chaired the signing ceremony of five cooperation agreements in the fields of foreign affairs, Islamic affairs, tourism and water.
 
    The Saudi head of State arrived to Morocco on Thursday on a two-day official visit to Morocco at the invitation of king Mohammed VI, who held talks with his guest and offered an official dinner in his honor.
 
    Saudi Arabia is Morocco’s main supplier of oil, and its development fund has lent the north-west African country USD 170Mn to help build schools and hospitals since 1999.
 
    Saudi investments in Morocco, notably in tourism and real estate, stood in 2006 at USD 41.8Mn, up from USD 37.5Mn in 2005.