Isaura Daniel
São Paulo – Representatives of Arab countries present at the official opening of debates in the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), yesterday (14), once again stated their support of free trade agreements. "Cooperation and partnerships are the basic structure for development. The Unctad should create the necessary environment to simplify this cooperation," stated the special envoy from the Kingdom of Bahrain, sheikh Salman Bin Khalifa Al-Khalifa.
The sheikh stated that his country adopts the principle of open markets with a development philosophy. Al-Khalifa mentioned a series of advances that the nation has been obtaining due to the process for integration in the worldwide globalisation. "Nowadays, in Bahrain, women contribute to 30% of new business," stated the sheikh. He also mentioned programs adopted in the areas of health, education, and technology which are permitting growth in the country.
According to the sheikh, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Bahrain evolved 27% between 1999 and 2002, half of this pushed by services, especially in the area of information technology. "We are not intimidated with globalisation," he added.
Like most ministers who spoke during the debate, however, Al-Khalifa defended the end of agricultural subsidies by rich countries.
Help to eliminate debts
Apart from the envoy from Bahrain, another two Arab ministers spoke at the Conference. The Moroccan minister of Foreign Trade, Mustapha Mechahouri, made two important requests. "It is essential to find solutions to the debts of developing countries," stated Mechahouri to an audience of chancellors.
He also requested the return of technical support by the Unctad to the poorer countries, especially in Africa, a service that, according to him, used to be provided by the organization but was interrupted. The Unctad did, in fact, help African countries to formulate trade disputes at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
The Kuwaiti minister of Industry and Trade, Abdullah Abdal Rahman Al-Tawell, mentioned the importance of rich countries reducing their trade barriers so that trade with less developed nations can advance. "We hope that developed countries will eliminate the tariff and non-tariff barriers, that they open their markets to our export and avoid phytosanitary regulations that are unfair," he stated.
Al-Tawell also mentioned how attractive his country is to foreign investors. He stated that Kuwait has laws guaranteeing intellectual property and legislation that prohibits confiscation, making the country safe for investment. "Companies can even have 100% foreign capital," he added. The minister stated his hopes that the Unctad help speed up the development of the poorer countries.
