The Fourth round of negotiations pertaining to free trade between the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council and Australia began here today. The participants of the 3-day meeting are scheduled to review a number of topics including trading in commodities, services, investments, governmental purchases, intellectual property, and other related topics. Dr Abdel-Malik Al-Hanaei, the Under Secretary of the Omani Ministry of National Economy for economic affairs, who leads the gulf side at the talks, said the GCC member states are linked with good trade relations with Australia. The GCC is made up of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.
