Arab trade minister wind up meeting

Arab ministers of commerce and economy called at the end of a two-day meeting Wednesday on the Arab states to actively participate in the fourth ministerial meeting of the world trade organization (WTO), due next November in Qatar.

The ministers also underlined the importance of Arab League participation in all WTO meetings to defend Arab interests and rights.

The ministers of commerce said they would meet again before the Doha conference. They agreed to hold an annual meeting in any of the Arab countries for consultations over issues debated in multilateral trade talks.

The ministers also decided to coordinate with other regional groups of developing nations.