GCC meeting begins on plans for closer trade cooperation
Date: 16/05/2012      Time: 12:47:00 PM
 
GCC ministers of commerce began their scheduled 45the meeting, held within framework of the committee of trade cooperation, on Wednesday with participation of Kuwaiti Minister of Commerce and Industry Anas Al-Saleh. Addressing the opening session of the conference, GCC Secretary General Dr. Abdul Latif Al-Zayani said the GCC Commercial Cooperation Committee had played a major role, over the past three decades, for making various achievements, namely establishing the joint GCC market and equal treatment for GCC businessmen. The commission should intensify and speed up work for unifying laws and rules that regulate commere, Al-Zayani said, adding that it should make further strides for food security "by means of building a strategic reserve on well-studied bases." This strategy warrants coordination with the private sector and countries of proper weather conditions to examine prospects of launching agricultural ventures for achieving food security for the GCC countries, Al-Zayani said. Agenda of the meeting addresses a host of issues, bills for competition, combating counterfeiting and fraud, "which we hope will be submitted to the GCC Supreme Council at its 33rd session," he said, expressing hope that the conferees would succeeded in taking decisions for further steps forward on several relevant fronts. The agenda also deals with boosting inter-GCC trade, removing barriers in face of movement of commodities and services among the GCC countries. The meeting of the committee was headed by the current chairman, Dr. Toufic Al-Rabi'ah, the Saudi Minister of Industry and Commerce. The Kuwaiti minister arrived in the Saudi capital, on Tuesday, leading his country's delegation to the 45th session of the committee.