Int'l Chamber of Commerce Head Demands Pressure on Governments to Take Positive Measures

Doha, April 23 (QNA) - Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) Gerard Worms has on Tuesday called for the coming together and unity of the business community around the world to pile pressure on governments so as to make positive decisions in this year, especially at the World Trade Organization's (WTO) ministerial meeting in Indonesia's Bali in December and at the G20 summit in September. Speaking at the opening session of the 8th World Chambers Congress, which launched today in Doha, Worms added the two events may make new decisions based on what has been previously discussed such as agreements to facilitate trade, which, he said, if implemented will create more than 120 million jobs in the world and reduce by half costs related to logistics and bureaucracies. He added that global trade is not at its best currently given that it has fell to 3 percent from about 8 percent in 2005 and 2006, making it one of the difficulties facing many countries. The ICC chief expressed gratitude for the role of HE Qatar Chamber Chairman Sheikh Khalifa bin Jassim bin Mohammad Al Thani in organizing the event in which a record number of more than 2000 people participated. The 3-day conference features workshops and seminars on the best solutions to support the development of small and medium-sized enterprises, and also gives chambers of commerce an opportunity to learn the best ways to deal with challenges facing modern businesses. (QNA)