OIC trade amid the challenges looming ahead, Kamel said he would seek to capitalize on the strengths of the Islamic nation by making use of the complementarity of the resources and opportunities in the region. However, he would leave it to the member states to decide how best to achieve the target within the framework of the objectives. The press conference brought forth a range of issues facing ICCI. Among them was the lack of a unified strategy to ensure that the member states would not duplicate products manufactured in the region or that they would give preferential treatment to such products instead of importing them from outside the region. The ICCI chairman said he would seek to capitalize on strengths of the member states for pushing forward intra-regional trade. "The factors that unite the member countries outweigh those that divide them. I shall strive to build on their strengths." In this context, he mulled organizing Islamic trade fairs as a means of facilitating greater interaction among traders and consumers. Kamel also floated the idea of holding cultural festivals among the member states as part of his strategy for reaching out to the people. Among the factors inhibiting the growth of intra-OIC trade, Kamel said, was the lack of a free trade zone. This subjected the member states' products to a crippling taxation regime. The ICCI chief reminded the member states that it was time to dismantle the trade barriers when the international community was doing the same. "We have got to have a win-win situation for the OIC trade block in line with the prevailing trend at the international level," he observed.
