Open Visa for OIC Businessmen by Year-End

JEDDAH, 6 October 2006 — Business trips between member-countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) will now be made easier after the introduction of an open business visa system at the end of the year, says President of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Saleh Kamel.

“When I took over the presidency of the ICCI after the death of Ismail Abu Dawood, I was asked to strengthen the exchange of trade between member-countries of the OIC. We were prompted to think about an open visa system in order to eliminate the obstacles in the way of increasing trade between these countries,” said Kamel.

Under the new visa system, businessmen who are members of business communities in a Muslim country will be able to obtain open visas to travel to any of the 57 countries for business and investment reasons. The implementation of the new visa has been scheduled for the end of the year as there are still a few member-countries who have not signed the adoption of the open visa in line with the decision of the OIC’s 33rd Baku Conference in June. Most of the member-countries have already signed the visa agreement.

The two-day ICCI meeting in Jeddah reiterated its commitment to implement the 10-year plan of the OIC in order to promote trade between member companies, the ICCI president said.

The chamber also plans to set up a special endowment for the chamber, said Kamel, adding that the chamber has been able to collect $277 million as part of a $1 billion fund to rehabilitate the victims of wars and other calamities in Muslim countries.

The fund would also be utilized for the reconstruction of Lebanon, which suffered greatly under the recent Israeli attacks. Several banks, particularly the Islamic Development Bank and the General Council of Islamic Banks, besides some companies and individuals have expressed their willingness to contribute to the fund. The ICCI meeting was attended by 90 heads of Islamic chambers and notable businessmen from member-countries including Minister of Commerce and Industry Hashim Yamani and Secretary-General of the OIC Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu.

The Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry is an affiliate of the OIC and was founded in 1977. The ICCI promotes the business activities, particularly in the private sector, of the 57 member-countries of the OIC.