Fatima Muhammad Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — The main challenges faced by Saudi commercial arbitration include raising the number of arbitration opportunities for arbitrators and lawyers, said Prince Bandar Bin Salman, adviser to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah and head of the Saudi Arbitration Team. He stressed on the need for the advancement of arbitration and called for providing more workers in this sector who are equipped with appropriate training in the Kingdom so the country could reach international arbitration standards. He said there was a need to spread a culture of arbitration to enhance the architecture boom in the Kingdom. He added that chambers of commerce in the Kingdom now have arbitration centers. According to him, the commercial arbitration system released recently was one of the best regulations issued in the last 30 years. The prince was speaking at the inauguration of the third arbitration forum at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Saturday evening. The event was held under the support of Prince Mansour bin Miteb, minister of municipal and rural affairs. Deputy Chairman of the chamber Mazen Batterjee said the chamber seeks to build bridges of cooperation with various bodies to shed light on arbitration in the Kingdom and beyond. The forum, he said, would help participants keep up with the development witnessed by the Kingdom in various fields, especially business activities and economic practices. The event, he added, focuses on issues that arise in the open markets and result in clashes of interests, both internally and externally. He added that arbitration is preferred, as it helps solve disputes in a professional and civilized manner. He hoped an arbitration system would see the light soon so it could be used by arbitration centers in the Kingdom. Batterjee added that they work on increasing awareness among those who might be involved in disputes including contractors, business owners and engineers. The implementation of an arbitration system, he said, would reflect positively on companies and individuals. Fourteen experts from Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia addressed different issues regarding arbitration at the two-day forum.
