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Arab eco summit will help overcome global financial crisis -- expert

By Al-Mustafa Al-Sufi

(with photos) RABAT, Jan 7 (KUNA) -- The Arab Economic Summit, due in Kuwait on January 19-20, is an opportunity for Arab countries to coordinate effort to counter the impact of the global financial crisis, said a Moroccan economic expert on Wednesday.
Former minister for rural development, and professor of economic sciences at Mohammed V University in Rabat, Mohammad Mahtan, told KUNA that the "enormous" Arab capabilities and resources would definitely be of assistance in overcoming this crisis.
He said Kuwait's initiative for holding this summit was a remarkable step towards further development of joint Arab action, and forming closer opinions concerning the developmental issues in the Arab region.
He called on participants in the upcoming summit to set a number of logical and realistic scenarios that would offer promising contributions to the social, economic, and developmental sectors, in order to stand in the face the manifestations of globalization.
He added that the summit's agenda should include means to support developing and poor Arab countries, saying that this would help in enhancing joint Arab cooperation and facing various international challenges.
He mentioned that his country would support the formation of major economic blocs with the purpose of keeping up with globalization.
The former minister regretted the failure to form an economic bloc in the Arab Maghreb region, saying that economic integration in the Arab Maghreb region was a part of Arab economic integration. (end) sf.lb KUNA 071221 Jan 09NNNN