An Arab Banking Summit meeting in Beirut has called for closer Arab coordination at the World Trade Organization (WTO) conference next week, the forum said in a final statement published Friday, November 2.
"It is necessary for Arab countries taking part in the WTO conference to coordinate their positions and that the Arab private sector contributes to such coordination," it said in a final statement.
"The liberalization of trade in the services sector is also necessary ... if we want to create an Arab free trade zone," it said. Participants in the annual summit also said "liberalization in financial services will help boost monetary stability in every Arab country and create a market for trust funds and financial services in the Arab world."
More than 300 delegates took part in the two-day Arab Banking Summit, which closed Thursday and was aimed at coordination ahead of the WTO ministerial meeting in Doha on November 9-13. — (AFP, Beirut)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
