Egypt urges Arabs to be active at Doha's WTO conference

"Arab countries must play an active role at the fourth World Trade Organization (WTO) conference in Doha in November to protect their nation's vital interests," Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade Youssef Boutros Ghali said.

"The Arab role has to be an active one, to safeguard the vital interests of the Arab nation in the global market," Ghali told the opening session of the Arab Ministers of Economy and Trade Council in Cairo on Tuesday.

"Supporting the efforts of Arab countries which seek to join the WTO is a top item on the agenda of these meetings," he said.

"They must be assisted and counseled to complete their membership process," he added.

Ghali, in his speech, underlined the importance of attracting more investment capital to developing countries to help create new production bases and enhance the development process.

As many as 14 Arab states are taking part in the Doha conference including Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Tunisia and Yemen.