Conference on Arab trade liberalization future starts in Sana'a

SANA'A, Feb. 15 (Saba) - The Forth Arab Conference on the future of
Arab trade liberalization negotiations under the umbrella of World
Trade Organization (WTO), opportunities and challenges before Arab
countries, started here on Sunday.

Opening the conference organized by Ministry of Industry and Trade
and the Arab Administrative Development Organization (ARADO),
Industry Minister Yahya al-Mutawakel reviewed steps Yemen has
achieved in trade liberalization field since launching the program
of economical, financial and administrative reforms at the beginning
of 1995.

The program included the cancellation of the import licenses system,
stepwise removing for the ban on different agricultural products as
well as reducing the customs tariffs packages, pointing out that
such actions made the Yemeni economy more open to international
trade.

The term (28) of commercial law has been amended to allow the
non-Yemenis to work in trading with no need to a Yemeni partner,
al-Mutawakel said.

He pointed out that continuing economical openness, foreign trade
liberalization and integrating in the world economy are strategic
options in Yemen adopted by the third five-year plan of economical
and social development 2006 - 2010,

The Yemen's current trade policy aims at speeding up joining to WTO
and completely availing from its membership in the grand Arab free
trade area which Yemen has joined in 2005 as well as expanding in
the non-petroleum exports, al-Mutawakel said.

He reviewed the actions and reforms done by the government during
the past period in regard to joining to WTO, praising the Arab
countries support to Yemen in this respect.

For his part, ARADO Advisor Basman al-Faisal highlighted WTO's
agreements which has become valid since 1995 are big challenges
before the Arab States joined to WTO or seeking to, confirming the
necessity of finding out effective machineries to stand with the
Arab State negotiating currently for joining to WTO.

The conference started with holding two sessions in which several
papers were discussed addressing WTO's institutional frame, the
national production protection, world trade system for human
development and future of trade liberalization in the agricultural
products.