Workshop on non-tariff barriers impact on inter-Islamic trade held in casablanca

A workshop on the impact of non-tariff barriers on inter-Islamic trade is currently held in Casablanca.

The workshop, sponsored by the Casablanca-based Islamic center for trade development (ICTD), is discussing the insidious barriers erected by industrialized countries, such as reference prices and technological barriers, despite the World Trade Organization regulations that favor the promotion of international trade.

In an opening address before the workshop Tuesday, Moroccan minister of trade, industry, energy and mining, Mustapha Mansouri, deplored the low volume of inter-Islamic trade exchanges, despite the existence of huge potentials. He said non-tariff barriers hamper the promotion of trade between member countries of the Organization of Islamic conference despite the efforts made to set up an integrated economic space.

The lack of coordination at the level of Islamic countries' commercial policies and the poor information on these countries' foreign trade regulations do not encourage economic operators to weave partnership ties, Mansouri said.

He called for the setting up, under the aegis of the ICDT, of a data base to ease exchange of information between businessmen and specialized institutions.