The Israeli Foreign Minister, David Levy, who's visiting Morocco, has said his talks with officials there had paved the way for closer ties with Rabat.

In an interview with Reuters news agency, he said the trip had been a success and would be followed by an official visit by the Prime Minister Ehud Barak at a date to be agreed by the two sides.

Mr Levi, who is of Moroccan origin, said Morocco and Israel had expressed the wish to upgrade their diplomatic ties. Morocco's relations with Israel cooled after the election in 1996 of the right-wing Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. During his visit, which Israeli officials said was aimed at building confidence between the two countries, Mr Levy visited his boyhood home in the capital, Rabat. It's estimated that fewer than eight-thousand Jews remain in Morocco.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service