Arab Business Community Forum Calls for Arab Economic Integration

Doha, February 21 (QNA) - The 14th Arab Business Community Forum concluded here on Tuesday . The forum launched yesterday under the theme "Arab Spring: Challenges and Investment Opportunities in The Global Economic Reality". Secretary General of the Qatari Businessmen Association Issa Abdul Salam Abu Issa stated the forum's recommendation that highlighted Arab teamwork as a means of helping the Arab economy out of the global economic crisis and strengthening it against Arab and global crises, in addition to enhancing mutual interests between Arab private sector entities so as to push the mutual Arab work forward. The participants expressed hope that the Qatari government would ask the Arab business sector to contribute to the infrastructure and services projects that will be established for World Cup 2022 that Qatar is set to host. Joint Arab strategic projects was another aspect of the discussions as the participants called for more joint projects in the fields of energy; gas; water; railway; maritime; roads; engineering, technological, pharmaceutical and food industries. Participants were unanimous in their belief that the Arab economy still needs more than ever to implement the strategy of joint Arab economic cooperation that emerged from the Arab summit conferences. Regarding the Arab integration aspect, Participants called on the Arab governments to work on the integration and accumulation of the industrial origin and industrial inputs in Arab industry from Arab countries, in addition to overcoming the obstacles to liberalization of trade and services sector among Arab countries. The participants also called for taking advantage as much as possible of bilateral and multilateral agreements concluded with the outside world for the Arab trade's interests. (QNA)