VOL. XLVI

No 20

19-May-2003

GENERAL

Arabs Sceptical About US Free Trade Proposal

A proposal by President George W Bush for the creation of a free trade zone in the Middle East has met with a largely skeptical reaction in the Arab world. Outlining the free trade idea, Mr Bush said on 9 May that the Arab world has a great cultural tradition, but it is largely missing out on the economic progress of our time. Not all countries are ready to participate in this kind of engagement. Our hope is obviously...