RABAT: Morocco is preparing to issue its first sovereign Islamic bond, or sukuk, worth 1 billion dirhams ($105 million) in the coming weeks after adopting a regulatory framework governing sukuk sales, Finance Minister Mohamed Boussaid said on Thursday.

"The legal framework is now prepared for Morocco to issue its first sovereign sukuk in the coming weeks," Boussaid told Reuters by phone.

(Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi Editing by Aidan Lewis, Larry King) ((Aidan.Lewis@tr.com; +216-29850352;))