Arab Chambers of Commerce and Industry start conference

Jordan's Crown Prince Hassan Bin Talal called on Arab governments on Sunday to exert more efforts to finalize the Arab free-trade zone, reports Kuwaiti news agency kuna.

Addressing the inaugural session of the 35th Conference of Arab chambers of Commerce and industry, Jordanian prime Minister Fayez Al-Tarawneh, who read out Prince Hassan's speech, said Arab businessmen and governments should make efforts to repatriate Arab investments abroad, estimated at around 600 billion U.S. dollars.

He welcomed a group of Arab businessmen attending the conference, which he said, is an excellent opportunity for Arab investors to meet and exchange ideas on the consolidation of the Arab economy.

The two-day Conference will cover the Arab free-trade zone, a research by the General Secretariat on investment trends, a paper by the Arab-Italian chamber of commerce and industry on "foreign investments and the Arab free-trade zone."

Manwhile, A delegation of Saudi Arabian businessmen representing the Saudi Council of Industrial and Commercial Chambers under the chairmanship of Khaled El-Zamel, the head of the council, is participating in the meetings. Osama El-Kordi, secretary general of the Saudi chambers' council and member of the Saudi delegation, said, "The main subject that will be tackled by the session is the greater Arab free trade zone, started to be implemented at the beginning of the current year." He emphasized its importance in order to unite Arab markets to achieve economic progress for the Arab states.