RIYADH, 9 March 2004 — The Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI) will hold seminars on the Kingdom’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO) on March 22, 23 and 24 in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam respectively, according to Dr. Fahd S. Al-Sultan, CSCCI secretary-general.

“The seminars will aim to inform Saudi businessmen, specifically the private sector, about doing business in a huge market under the WTO which has 148 members,” Dr. Al-Sultan told Arab News. He said that three experts would deliver lectures during the seminars which are being held in collaboration with the British Embassy.

The experts are Christopher Roberts, director general of trade policy at the UK Department of Trade, trade adviser to an international law firm and an expert on international trade and services issues; Mark Hatcher, head of global public affairs at PriceWaterhouse Cooper and a consultant; and Julian Arkell, an expert in international trade and services issues.

Nasser M. Al-Mushaikeh, CSCCI director general for chamber affairs, said that the three lecturers would address general issues arising from accession to the WTO. “They will talk about the advantages as well as disadvantages of the Kingdom’s membership in WTO. This will mean opening up of the Saudi market,” he said.

He added that the lecturers would also discuss how the Kingdom’s WTO membership might influence local business decisions and priorities.

He said that other issues would also be discussed, including the relevance of the WTO to business agreements, preparations by the Saudi government and the private sector for WTO accession, benefits from WTO membership to local businesses and the historical background of WTO.

“There’s much to learn as far as our accession to the WTO is concerned so that the seminars are important. We hope that we will cover much ground during the three seminars,” Al-Mushaikeh said.