WTO Arab Consultation Forum opens in Amman

Deputizing for the King, HE Mr. Hatem Halawani, Jordan's Minister of Industry and Trade will inaugurate the Forum which will witness the participation of Arab governmental delegations representing economic and business sectors, ministers, experts in trade and industry, finance and planning, chambers of commerce, central banks and economic organizations and businessmen, as well as representatives of the Arab countries in the World Trade Organization..

HE Mr. Halawani, WTO's Director General, Mr. Pascal Lamy who is marking his first visit to Jordan upon an invitation by Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh and his first participation in an Arab regional meeting, HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, EPDF's chairman and member of the World Trade Organization Expert Panel (WTO-EP) for defining the future of world trade, in addition to Qatar's Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage HE Dr. Hamad bin Abdul Aziz Al Kuwari and HE Dr. Jawad Anani, EPDF vice chair will deliver speeches at the Opening session.

This will be followed by a special session on the future of world trade with a Q&A moderated by Jordan's Minister of Industry and Trade featuring Mr. Lamy, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh and with the participation of ministers and Arab governmental delegations.

The Forum serves as a platform for exchanging views between the WTO represented by its Director General, Mr. Lamy and WTO-EP represented by its member HE Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh on one part and decision makers and stakeholders in the Arab world on the other. It also presents the various views and interests of Arabs to propose them for the upcoming ministerial conference.

Forum recommendations will be incorporated in the report presented by the WTO-EP to address the flaws and negatives in the world trade system and meet the challenges of the 21st Century.

HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, issued a report calling for the urgent reform of the WTO, a copy of which was given to WTO Director General (DG) Pascal Lamy, during a meeting earlier today in Geneva.