By Imad Al-Askar
(with photos) DAMASCUS, Nov 23 (KUNA) -- A senior Syrian official underscored on Sunday necessity of the planned Arab economic summit due in Kuwait in January for boosting the pan-Arab integration efforts.
In remarks to KUNA, the assistant minister of economy, Ghassan Al-Eid, called for pursuing the efforts for establishment of the aspired common Arab market, affirming that the Arab-Arab trade accord led to positive results for the consumers in the Arab countries.
Arab products are now available in all the markets in the Arab world, he said, citing some of the tangible good results of the accord.
Al-Eid called for pan-Arab cooperation to cope with ramifications of the global financial crisis affirming necessity of setting up an Arab economic bloc to stand firmly in the face of the effects of the crisis.
Moreover, the Syrian official called for deeper coordination to secure self-sufficiency of food resources in the Arab world -- which he said could be secured by 60-70 percent.
At the local level, he shed some light on a series of steps that have been taken since 2005 for sake of slackening restrictions on the national economy, noting that up to 24 laws have been enacted for the purpose of liberalizing the national economy. (end) ik.rk KUNA 231635 Nov 08NNNN