A free trade zone between UAE, Iraq

The Iraqi minister of trade Muhammad Mahdi Saleh has stressed that his talks with several officials on Saturday in the United Arab Emirates UAE dealt with the establishment of a free trade area with the UAE and Iraq aiming at UAE exportation of commodities through its ports without customs fees and a licensing to Iraq.

In a press statement, Saleh added that a joint cooperation in the area of ports will be held between the ports authority and the free zone of Jabal Ali in Dubai and the authorities concerned in Iraq, noting that the volume of the foreign trade of Iraq with the Arab states, according to the "oil for food" agreement reached USD 10.6 billion.

Saleh stressed Iraq's rejection to any project that does not lead to lifting complete sanctions from Iraq and the implementation of UN resolution 687. He said that the " Smart sanctions" proposal advocated by the US and Britain aims at obstructing trade agreements between Iraq and the Arab states and destabilizing Iraq and depriving it from chances of bilateral cooperation and investment of its resources.