Egypt has presented - within the last meeting of the Arab Trade and Industry Ministers held in Cairo last June – the Arab Initiative which aims to defend the Arab Countries Interests and reaching a united Arab negotiating positions on the different WTO trade negotiations.
The Initiative also aims to share the trade liberalization decisions of industrial goods, agricultural goods, and services and harmonizing the Arab positions and interests on the WTO negotiations framework, keeping on mind the needs of the Arab Free Trade Area, and raising the number of Arab countries members of the WTO which are 12 members countries now.
And suggested Initiative to be on three levels, the first is a half annually meetings on the level of the Arab Trade and Industry Ministers, the second is a half monthly on the level of the Arab missions on Geneva, and the third is a quarter annually on the level of experts at the Arab capitals.
And for strengthen this Initiative Egypt was selected as Egypt as the Coordinator of the Arab Group at the WTO from the first of December 2006 to the end of February 2007.
The Arab member countries of the WTO are Egypt, Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Morocco, Tunisia, Djibouti, Oman, Qatar, and Mauritania.