Randa Achmawi, special report for ANBA*
Cairo – High-level employees representing the ministries of Economy and Trade of the Arab countries spent two days this week in a preparatory meeting for the ministerial meeting that is going to take place in Quito, Ecuador, between April 25 and 26. The main objective was the articulation of proposals, ideas and positions in the economic area.
During the meeting, the minutes to be discussed in the capital of Ecuador were defined. A draft of the declaration to be approved in Quito was also discussed. "The South American countries have already had their own meeting of high-level employees and they also elaborated a draft of the declaration," stated Ibrahim Moheildeen, head of the Latin America department at the League of Arab States. "I asked them to send me a copy of the document and it was based on this South American version that the talks between high-level Arab employees took place," he added.
According to him, there are no great differences between the Arab and South American versions of the document. "There are just small adjustments in the positions," he guaranteed. Among the proposals is the creation of mechanisms to provide incentives to investment in both regions, according to the joint secretary general at the League, Ahmed Ben Helli.
The part played by the private sector is also in the minutes, as is the need for an increase in the exchange of information about the investment possibilities and opportunities in each of the regions. In the scope of trade, talks should cover agreements and a commission of businessmen will be established in both blocs to promote greater exchange in this area. The possibility of reaching a free trade agreement between both regions should also be covered.
Another crucial point is the need to discuss the question of tourism between both regions. "For this reason an improvement in the quality of transport is a matter that should be discussed with objectiveness and solved with the increase of the number of aerial and maritime routes between both regions," stated Moheildeen.
The meeting of ministers of Finance and Trade of the Arab and South American countries is one of the events organized to follow through with the Summit of South American – Arab Countries, which took place in May last year.
*Translated by Mark Ament
