(Adds details, background)

By Peter Blackburn

BRUSSELS, Oct 13 (Reuter) - European Fisheries Commissioner

Emma Bonino said on Friday a political compromise had been

struck between the European Union and Morocco over fishing

rights and that formal negotiations would begin on Tuesday.

A new agreement is especially important for Spain and

Portugal, where some 700 vessels have been tied up in port since

Morocco scrapped a previous accord at the end of April.

"When negotiations collapsed we agreed that we would only

resume when a broad political agreement had been reached...It

was reached less than half an hour ago," Bonino told a news

conference.

The last round collapsed in acrimony on August 28 over

Morocco's demands for sharp cuts in catches and big increases in

tonnages landed in Moroccan ports and financial compensation.

"The political compromise...takes account of the interests

of both sides. There are no winners or losers in this

compromise," she said.

The compromise was only reached after intervention at the

highest level -- from Morocco's King Hassan and European

Commission President Jacques Santer.

"I think we now have a stable basis, something to build on

in the future, to develop a real partnership," Bonino added.

Bonino, who said it had not yet been decided where the next

round -- the seventh -- would take place, refused to give any

figures, only the outlines of the agreement.

"The arrangements and tonnages are still under discussion,"

she said. "We have laid the general framework and within it we

think there is scope for agreement."

In the new agreement, which would be for four years without

any mid-term review, the EU will agree to land fish frozen on

board ship in Moroccan ports.

Both sides have agreed on measures to better protect fish

stocks and reinforce fisheries inspections.

Bonino said a four-year agreement would allow time for the

EU fleet to be reduced to match shrinking stocks.

"The timing and scale have already been established. I hope

all member states, including Spain, will cooperate," she said.

But she added every effort would be made to soften the blow

for small scale fishermen in regions, such as southern Spain,

where there was no economic alternative to fishing.

Bonino hoped the details of the agreement could be finalised

by the next meeting of EU fisheries ministers in Luxembourg on

October 26.