Detroit city chosen to host U.S.-Arab economic forum

An inaugural U.S.-Arab Economic Forum will be held in May in Detroit, Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, announced.

The conference, from May 15 to 17, is designed to increase understanding and cooperation between the United States and the Arab states through trade and economic cooperation, Moussa said Thursday.

The Arab League chief recalled the old US-Arab relationships which date back to the birth of the USA, noting that "it was an Arab country, Morocco, that was the first to recognize the American nation."

"There is vast trade and investment between the U.S. and the Arab world. Our objective is to build more bridges of cooperation and understanding," Moussa said in a statement.

"I firmly believe that the potential is great and we should do everything in our capacity to tap it," he added.

Organizers of the conference include the Detroit Regional Chamber; the Dearborn, Michigan-based American Arab Chamber of Commerce and Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services; and the Washington-based Arab American Institute and Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee.

Topics to be addressed at the conference will include the current and future state of U.S.-Arab economic relations, the role of Arab Americans in improving relations and cultural differences that affect economic relations.