Qatar is very optimistic about Mena
Qatar, Economics, 10/21/1997

Qatar yesterday expressed hope that progress would be made in the Middle East peace process giving a higher success rate for the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) economic conference to be held in Doha next month.

"We always hope that progress is achieved in the peace process as such progress will give the conference a better chance of success," Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani said on the sidelines of a seminar being organized by the Harvard Business School in Doha.:

Qatar has invited 91 countries to attend the conference, including 15 Arab states and said recently said that it expects at least 12 Arab states to participate in the meeting due to be held from November 16 to 18.

Asked about participation in the conference, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim said: "It is up to each state to assess the situation and I wish that all those invited would attend.

"Taking part in the conference would not hurt but would greatly help since the world will come to realize that Arab countries are still seeking to achieve peace while the opposite party is seeking to destroy the level of peace already achieved," the Foreign Minister said.

"We should not allow those seeking to abort peace and cause havoc, especially the Israelis, to succeed in their mission," he added.

The Mena summit will showcase 17 new projects being prepared by the state's local firms, besides 100 project proposals for investment in the GCC being promoted by the Doha-based Gulf Organization for Industrial Consulting (GOIC).

Nearly 38 international companies including major firms Mobil, Occidental, Maersk, Amoco, Arco, Enron, Elf, Petronas and Philips will participate.

Earlier, the Foreign Minister told the seminar that Qatar expected an economic growth of 13% to 14% this year. He said the inflation rate in the state was one of the lowest in the world at 2.2% over the past five years.

Meanwhile, a senior Qatari official said that preparations for holding the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) conference have been completed.

Mohamed Ismail al-Emadi, assistant coordinator general of the Mena conference and head of its technical committee, told a seminar that requests for participation had been received from the private sector in many countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Egypt, Tunisia, Jordan and Lebanon, in addition to those from Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa together with the US, Canada and Australia. Most of these countries and organizations had agreed to participate in the conference.

Some 40 local and international companies, representing various economic, industrial and trade sectors, are sponsoring the conference. The total number of participants representing foreign private sector amounted to 700.

Among issues to be discussed during the conference would be the Qatari economy, its nature, development, the role of the private sector in it, investment atmosphere in Qatar and domains of investment, such as the gas sector.

Previous Stories:
  Egypt's views unchanged on MENA despite US statement   (10/18/1997)
  Qatar expects 12 Arab countries to attend - Iraq, Syria, Libya not invited!   (10/14/1997)
  Palestinian official denies rift with Qatar on Mena   (10/11/1997)

Please add a link on your webiste pointing to ArabicNews.com and bookmark ArabicNews.com & subscribe to our daily email news bulletin.

Search