LOC13:52
10:52 GMT
KUWAIT, Oct 26 (KUNA) -- Kuwait is to preside over a meeting to be held in Cairo on Monday in preparation for an Arab economic and social development summit in Kuwait in January 2009.
The two-day meeting to be held at the Cairo-based Arab League will be attended by a Kuwaiti delegation to be led by assistant undersecretary of the Ministry of Finance for public services Nabil Al-Abdeljeleel, along with teams from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, Syria, and Sudan, the ministry said in a news release.
During the gathering, the conferees will thrash out a set of preparatory steps for the economic and social development in Kuwait, together with several proposed projects and programs, it said.
Over 350 projects, proposed by Arab countries and organizations, will be on the agenda of the meeting, it added.
Several Arab experts have been handpicked to work out studies of main obstacles and challenges impeding Arab inter-trade, services, and cooperation in investment, trade, transport, climate, and energy, the Kuwaiti ministry pointed out.
The outcomes of relevant discussions and deliberations will be referred to an extraordinary meeting of the Arab Economic and Social Council due to be held on November 25-27, 2009.
The State of Kuwait gives high priority to the Arab economic and social development summit in January, hoping it would lead to closer Arab action and bolster and shore up efforts targeting Arab economic integration, the ministry said.
The summit will be held in Kuwait on January 19-20 upon initiative from His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.
A high-level committee, led by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs Faisal Al-Hajji, is making preparations and arrangements for the summit.(end) amf.khq.aa.mt KUNA 261352 Oct 08NNNN