Putin takes Africa diplomacy drive to Morocco

CASABLANCA, Sep 7 (Reuters) President Vladimir Putin began a visit to Morocco, Russia's main African trading partner, today seeking to widen his sphere of political influence on the continent beyond Moscow's traditional Cold War allies.

The visit, the first by a Russian head of state since Leonid Brezhnev in the Soviet era, rounds out a continent-wide tour whose high point was a visit to South Africa where Putin pledged billions of dollars of investment in the country.

Analysts played down the prospect of similar deals in Morocco, saying Putin's appearance was about improving ties with a kingdom that leaned towards the West during the Cold War and pushing Russian diplomacy beyond the usual circuit of Soviet-era friends.

''Putin is anxious to demonstrate that his Russia is a global player that is increasingly important on the world stage,'' said George Joffe of Cambridge University's Centre of International Studies.

Putin arrived late on Wednesday night in Casablanca where he was greeted by Moroccan Prime Minister Driss Jettou, and was due to meet King Mohammed and his advisers at the Royal Palace in the city, the north African country's commercial capital.

Russia has an interest in building on a phase of warming relations with Morocco that began four years ago when King Mohammed visited Moscow.

It is a key buyer of a staple Moroccan export -- phosphates -- and Morocco's rich coastal waters are open to Russian fishing boats while remaining off-limits to European trawlers.

Newspapers reported that Russia was interested in building a nuclear power station in Morocco and that a delegation from Morocco's state power company ONE had visited Moscow late last month to meet managers of nuclear energy agency ROSATOM.

Russia says Morocco is its main trading partner in Africa, with two-way sales totalling 1.5 billion dollars last year. But Algeria -- Morocco's rival in the Maghreb and Africa -- is Russia's leading military client on the continent.

Alarm bells sounded in Rabat last March when Putin visited Algiers and officials announced that Russia would sell 7.5 billion dollars of combat planes, air-defence systems and other arms from Moscow in exchange for a debt write-off.

Analysts said Putin's Morocco visit was aimed partly at showing that, despite the arms sale, Russia remains even-handed in its treatment of Morocco and Algeria.

REUTERS SP KN1730