Damascus Declaration’s trade cooperation a step on road to common Arab market

A top Syrian lawmaker yesterday said the agreement produced by a recent Arab gathering, including his country and Egypt, to mull a mini-common market was a step in the right direction to make the long-elusive dream of an Arab common market come true.

In an interview with Egypt’s Middle East news agency, Abdul Khader Qadura, the head of Syrian Parliament, added that the focus of an earlier parliamentary meeting in Cairo was to clear the way for establishing a pan-Arab market.

Late last month the eight members of the Damascus Declaration, including the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, met at the Mediterranean resort of Latakia and pledged to the pave the way for a smaller common market amongst themselves in the preparation for an expanded inter-Arab trade grouping.