Some 150 experts from 16 Arab countries will meet in Manama, Bahrain, from 16 to 18 March to analyse the implications of the Uruguay Round in the sectors of petroleum and petro-chemicals, and on professional services. These sectors were singled-out for focus at a Symposium held in Casablanca (Morocco) in November 1994, given their importance for Arab countries in terms of exports.
The meeting in Manama is being held under the auspices of the Bahraini Government, the Bahrain Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce with the participation of Mr. Ali Saleh Al Saleh, Minister of Commerce. The event is organised jointly by UNCTAD and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), in cooperation with the World Trade Organisation (WTO), the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the Arab Monetary Fund and the Arab Management Society as well as other regional institutions. It forms part of UNCTAD´s technical assistance programme aimed at promoting the integration of developing countries into the international trading system. It is a follow-up to the Casablanca Symposium on the evaluation of the implications of the Uruguay Round for Arab countries (see Note to Correspondents No.32 of 1994).
Immediately following the expert group meeting, about 50 participants from countries members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and from regional institutions will discuss on 19 and 20 March their external trade relations in the light of the evolving multilateral trading system, particularly in the context of the WTO. This meeting is also held under the auspices of the Bahraini Government: the Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Chamber of Commerce. It is organized in cooperation with the GCC secretariat, the Federation of GCC Chambers of Commerce, UNCTAD, WTO and ESCWA.
