DOHA, 12 March 2004 — Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri announced here yesterday his country will soon sign a free trade agreement with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, the official QNA news agency reported. Lebanon and the GCC, “are ready to sign a free-trade agreement,” Hariri said after meetings in Doha with Qatari and Lebanese businessmen. The GCC groups Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.