RIYADH, 26 March 2008 — Minister of Commerce and Industry Abdullah Zainal Alireza said yesterday that establishing unified Arab standards was the first line of defense for Arab consumers and economies.
“Unified Arab standards will become the first line of defense that will not only protect Arab consumers but also protect the economies of Arab countries,” said Alireza in his keynote speech at the “Standards and Quality” conference, organized by the Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO) on the occasion of the Arab Standards Day.
“The quickness to establish as many Arab standards as possible, as well as adopting the highest international standards of quality, is a must to comply with the needs of trade among Arab countries,” the minister added.
Alireza said by establishing unified standards, Arab governments would overcome obstacles that hinder inter-Arab trade in merchandises, commodities and services.
The minister said Arab governments needed to cooperate with one another to encourage Arab industries to comply with national standards. He also said that Arab industries should provide correct information to concerned authorities to improve the quality of standards that would pave the way for competition in the international market.
Alireza also stressed the importance of implementing quality standards in local laboratories, in addition to training workers to develop their skills.
Uplifting the quality of Arab standards was a must for Arab industries to compete with international industries in the global market, the minister asserted.
“Such measures will contribute to the development of quality standards of Arab industries, increase its competitiveness, and pave way for these industries to compete in the international arena,” he said.
SASO Director General Nabil Mulla said Arab standards organizations would exert efforts to renew their strategies in the next five years to comply with the demands of the Organization for Free Arab Trade.
“Establishing a common Arab free trade market is a dream which requires the coordination of all Arab standards organizations to unify these standards,” he said.
, adding that placing a strategy for Arab standards was a must in the near future.
He mentioned that the Kingdom, represented by SASO, had signed agreements with several countries, such as Malaysia and Turkey, to protect the rights of consumers in the Kingdom and the respective countries, in addition to agreements that are to be signed between the Kingdom and other Arab countries this year.
