50% of Iraq's contracts with Arab states

Iraqi Trade Minister Mohammed Mahdi Saleh said Iraq has increased the volume of his country's trade with the Arab states in framework of the oil-for-food and medicine program to 50% of its total trade, adding in an interview with the Egyptian radio Sawt Al-Arab that Baghdad does not place any restrictions on Arab commercial transactions.

He said that meetings of joint committees took place during this year with Arab states like Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Jordan and Yemen to invigorate joint exchange, in addition to meetings with Russia, Turkey, Bulgaria, China, India, Yugoslavia, Vietnam, Cuba and Romania.

He added that agreements for bilateral cooperation were ratified among unions of the trade and industry chambers in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Tunisia to open new outlets for exporting goods to Iraq.