Daley to visit region next month

The US Department of Commerce said yesterday that Secretary of Commerce William Daley will lead two business development missions to the Middle East on October 8 -18. Daley will visit Jordan, Israel, the West Bank, Gaza, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to "encourage trade and investment in the Palestinian territories and in Egypt, Israel and Jordan and demonstrate the Administration's commitment to a broad-based relationship with Saudi Arabia and the UAE, as well as other Gulf countries."

It added that Daley will also "underscore the need to continue the positive steps each government has taken to reform their economies, open their markets and resolve major market access barriers, especially in the area of protection of intellectual property rights."