LOC20:21
17:21 GMT
KUWAIT, Jan 16 (KUNA) -- Secretary General of the Federation of Arab Businessmen (FAB) Makram Mohammad Ahmed voiced hope on Friday that the Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit, due here on January 19-20, would help achieve the pan-Arab comprehensive socio-economic development.
"The great efforts, made by Kuwait, the Arab League and the league's member states to prepare for the summit, will secure the success of the historic event," he told KUNA.
"A total of 240 studies have been developed by the Arab ministers of finance in cooperation with businesspeople and were summed up in 17 studies to form an integrated plan for comprehensive socio-economic development," Ahmed pointed out.
He voiced hope that the summit would lead to "common convictions" and concrete plans for facing up to the challenges posed by the current international economic and financial turmoil.
Among the challenging tasks facing the Arab economies are to achieve sustainable development and food security, eradicate poverty and illiteracy, check the soaring unemployment rates and increase the bilateral trade volumes, the FAB chief noted. (end) kz.gb KUNA 162021 Jan 09NNNN