Under Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for Technical Affairs Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Kathiri, who is heading the delegation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the 8th ministerial conference of the World Trade Organization (WTO), has stressed the importance of the multilateral trading system to facilitate the movement of trade. In the Kingdom's speech delivered at the first day of the three-day conference which was concluded today in Geneva, Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Kathiri said that the commitment to free trade is a pre-requisite for economic prosperity. Dr. Al-Kathiri added that the Saudi Government was keen to preserve the freedom of trade and fight protectionism and that it avoided imposition of any restrictions during the global financial crisis in line with the rules and the WTO agreements and the Kingdom's commitment to the positions of the Group of Twenty. He stated that the Kingdom has fulfilled its obligations to the WTO and that Saudi Arabia is keen to end the Doha Round of negotiations in the light of commitment to the basic principles governing the Round. Dr. Al-Kathiri said that the Kingdom, which is playing the role of coordinator of the Arab group at the organization, calls for approving Arabic as an official language of the organization. On the sidelines of the conference, Dr. Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Kathiri held meetings with officials of China, Malaysia, Singapore and Sweden aimed at boosting commercial relations between the Kingdom and these countries and promoting investment in Saudi Arabia.
