- JEDDAH: The proposed Makkah visa, which would have allowed entry for businessmen from the 57-member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), is long dead, Sheikh Saleh Kamel, Saudi businessman and chairman of the Islamic Chamber of Commerce and Industry told Arab News in a statement Saturday.
He was participating in the first annual conference of the Business Owners Union of the OIC being held at the Jeddah Hilton Hotel.
"The initiative to facilitate the movement of Muslim businessmen among all Muslim countries died in its cradle because of government red tape, the differences in procedures and regulations and the reluctance of a number of countries to approve the Makkah Visa," Kamel said.
He said he was a big supporter of the Makkah Visa project which was welcomed by some countries and rejected by others.
Kamel admitted that businessmen would suffer in their attempts to obtain entry visas to some Muslim countries because of the hurdles put by the governments of these countries and said other countries were not enthusiastic about the project until it died without much ado. "I was a big supporter of the project which is nonexistent now," he added.
Kamel said the non-starting of the Makkah Visa project, to enable businessmen to travel freely among other countries, would foil plans to increase intra-Islamic trade.
OIC Secretary-General Ekmeluddin Ihsanoglu said Islamic countries should come together if they want to erase poverty and attain development. "Our countries must continue their trade and investment communications to reduce poverty and achieve development," he said.
The secretary-general said the OIC was endeavoring to upgrade the level of intra-Islamic trade from its current 16 percent to 20 percent by the year 2015.