Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, on his first visit abroad since taking office, met Moroccan officials on Saturday to seek ways of enhancing cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

"We agreed to intensify relations and the cooperation in the fight against international terrorism," Zapatero said at a news conference in Casablanca, Morocco's economic capital.

Zapatero did not announce any concrete agreement after talks with Moroccan King Mohammed and Prime Minister Driss Jettou. The leaders also reportedly discussed the issue of illegal immigration from the North African country.

Earlier in the day, Zapatero and King Mohammed unveiled a marble stone memorial in Casablanca in memory of the victims in terror attacks last May.

A total of 45, including 12 suicide bombers, were killed in theseries of terrorist attacks in Casablanca

Zapatero's short visit came as 15 Moroccans were arrested in Spain on suspicion of involvement in the commuter train bombings that killed 191 people in Madrid on March 11. The bloody train bombings had underscored the need for closer cooperation between the two neighboring countries in their fight against terrorism.

Zapatero was expected to give a new boost to relations between Spain and Morocco which became cool under Zapatero's predecessor, former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar.

Newspapers in Morocco hailed Zapatero's visit, saying it provides a chance for the two countries to open a new chapter in their relations.

Spain's heads of government traditionally pay their first official visits to Morocco. Zapatero said the day after his Socialist Party won last month's general election that the Muslim neighbor was a foreign policy priority.

Spain and Morocco narrowly avoided a military clash in July 2002 over an uninhabited islet, just off Morocco's Mediterranean coast. Heavy flows of illegal immigrants into Spain from North Africa have also been a long-standing source of discord.

Source: Xinhua