[Excerpt: Qatar's neighbour, Bahrain has also recently agreed on an FTA with the US, raising concerns among other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, especially Saudi Arabia.... Saudi Arabia's Crown prince Abd Allah bin Abd al-Aziz had also boycotted the recent GCC summit in Bahrain apparently in protest against the trade deals with the US.]
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5FFB2254-E111-4843-8CFB-CAAFB8B21C88.htm Qatar considers trade deal with US Sunday 23 January 2005, 15:26 Makka Time, 12:26 GMT Qatar is considering a free trade agreement with the US, a local newspaper has said. The Qatari daily Gulf Times on Sunday published an article indicating the two countries have held initial talks on the free trade pact, which could be signed this year. Qatar's Minister of Economy and Commerce Shaikh Muhammad bin Ahmad bin Jassim al-Thani was quoted at a recent conference as saying the government considered a free trade agreement with the US vital. "Yes, we are definitely considering a free trade agreement," he said at the Project Opportunities in Qatar conference. The deal would also assist Qatar's economic integration into global markets, according to government sources. "Both sides will benefit from the agreement and they will be long-term. On our side our exports will get tax relief and protection on the strength of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US," the sources said. Saudi concerns Qatar's neighbour, Bahrain has also recently agreed on an FTA with the US, raising concerns among other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members, especially Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia's Crown prince Abd Allah bin Abd al-Aziz had also boycotted the recent GCC summit in Bahrain apparently in protest against the trade deals with the US. The kingdom, a regional heavyweight, had accused its smaller Gulf neighbours of weakening GCC solidarity by forging separate economic and security agreements with foreign powers. Other GCC members such as Kuwait, Oman and the United Arab Emirates plan to sign similar deals, which could further alienate Riyadh. Aljazeera enditem ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> DonorsChoose. A simple way to provide underprivileged children resources often lacking in public schools. Fund a student project in NYC/NC today! http://us.click.yahoo.com/EHLuJD/.WnJAA/cUmLAA/TySplB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
