Arab experts will meet in Damascus on Sunday, July 29, to study the means of reactivating the boycott of Israel, the official Syrian Arab news agency, SANA reported Saturday.
"Experts specialized in the boycott issue," representing "most Arab countries," will take part in the two-day meeting, SANA added.
The meeting will be held on the invitation the Damascus-based Central Office for the Boycott of Israel (OBI) which will present a document "detailing the means to reactivate the boycott", said the agency.
The OBI, set up in 1951 by the Arab League, has not met since April 1993 because of a lack of quorum. The office last February drew a plan to combat Israeli exports to Arab countries through third parties.
The reactivation of the OBI was discussed at the March 27-28 Arab summit in Amman upon the request of Syria, which is pushing for a tougher line in the face of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The OBI's initial task was to update every six months a "black list" of companies to be banned by the Arab states, including Israeli companies and companies belonging to other countries dealing with Israel.
After the 1991 Gulf War and the launch of the Middle East peace process, most of the Arab countries yielded to US pressure and lifted the boycott of third party companies dealing with Israel. ― (AFP, Damascus)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
