Finance Ministers start meeting

Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai and Minister of Finance, opened here today works of the extraordinary meeting of Arab Finance Ministers, hosted by Abu Dhabi. The delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the meeting is headed by Minister of Finance Dr. Ibrahim bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf. The Minister's delegation includes a number of senior officials of the Ministry of Finance and the Saudi Arabian Monetary Agency (SAMA). The meeting is also attended by the Director General and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF), Dr Jassim Al Mannai, a number of finance ministers of the Arab countries and senior officials from regional and international institutions. The meeting will discuss economic developments and the current developments facing the Arab countries, and ways of activating inter-Arab trade, and development of Arab financial policies, as well as opportunities that can be used to improve the common social and economic interests of the Arab states. The meeting will also review economic and financial conditions in the global economy and the Arab region. A number of other working papers dealing with regional integration, trade, direct investments, inter-Arab coordination of tax policies and other issues will also be presented at the meeting.