Participants Of 19th Comcec Meeting Decide To Call On Comcec Members To Extend Economic Assistance To Iraq

ISTANBUL - State Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Abdullatif Sener said on Thursday that participants of the 19th Meeting of the Standing Committee for Economic and Trade Cooperation (COMCEC) of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) decided to call on COMCEC members to extend economic assistance to Iraq.
Sener chaired the closing session of the 19th COMCEC Meeting held in Istanbul.
Addressing the closing remarks, Sener said that 188 delegates from 43 countries and 15 international organizations attended the 19th COMCEC Meeting.
Sener noted that nine countries were represented in the level of ministers and Turkey participated in the meeting by a delegation headed by him.
One of the most significant items of agenda of the meeting was putting into practice the framework agreement on establishment of Preferential Trade System Among Islam Countries this year, Sener stated.
Sener said, ''I would like to state that decision to start trade negotiations to be held within the terms of this agreement was taken in this COMCEC meeting and the first meeting of the negotiation committee will be held in Antalya in April of 2004. Turkey is pleased to host this first round of trade negotiations which are open to whole OIC society.''
The mentioned negotiations would aim to lift tariffs and non-tariffs obstacles limiting trade among Islam countries and bring trade regimes closer, Sener pointed out.
Sener hoped that a trade system would be established at the end of a series of negotiations.
Mechanism of practice of OIC Action Plan covering proposals for common projects and prior sectors which aimed to improve economic cooperation was also taken up in the meeting, Sener said.
Sener noted that decisions were taken to make that mechanism more efficient.
''Also, the participants decided to call on COMCEC members to extend economic assistance to Iraq. This decision is in parallel with the decision made in the Islamic Conference Summit of OIC that convened in Putrajaya last week aiming at reconstruction of Iraq and humanitarian aid to this country,'' Sener said.
Sener stated that participants exchanged views on effects of use of e-trade and information technologies in increasing and improving trade among member countries during the meeting.
Facilitation of trade and transportation among member countries would be taken up in the following COMCEC meeting, Sener said.
Sener stressed that private sector had an increasing importance in COMCEC meetings and Islam Chamber of Commerce, which was centered in Karachi, would open an office in Istanbul soon.
They hoped to develop measures and mechanisms encouraging participation of private sector in parallel with COMCEC meetings in coming years, Sener said.
Sener added that the 20th COMCEC meeting would be held in Istanbul on November 23-26, 2004 and the Follow-up Committee meeting would also take place in Istanbul on May 11-13, 2004.
(BRC-AY) 23.10.2003