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WORLD
TRADE LAW ASSOCIATION
THE 1ST MIDDLE EASTERN CONFERENCE OF
THE WTLA
GLOBALISATION,
THE WTO AND BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The Outcomes
SPEAKERS PROGRAMME RECOMMENDATIONS WTLA
Due to the increased interest
in WTO issues in the Middle East and in light of the launch of the new
round of multilateral trade negotiations at the Doha Ministerial, the
Council of the World Trade Law Association (WTLA) after its meeting on
29th November, 2001 held to discuss the Association's projected activities
for 2002, decided to hold its first conference in a non-European country
and Jordan was chosen as an ideal place to host such an event in belief
that Jordan should take a leading role in future WTO negotiations.
The WTLA cooperated in hosting this conference with Khalaf Masa'deh & Partners. As a member of the Council of WTLA himself, Dr. Ahmad Masa'deh was appointed as the Conference Secretary. The Conference was held on 25th April, 2002, at the Sheraton Hotel, Amman under the graceful patronage of H.M. King Abdullah II who kindly patronized H.E. Dr. Mohammad Al-Halayqah, Minister of National Economy. Dr. Halayqah addressed the Conference on behalf of His Majesty King Abdullah emphasizing that Jordan was able to establish an important position in the world trading system and that it is essential to respect the needs of nations in order to achieve just and sustainable development.
Many keynote speakers from around the globe were invited to address the Conference. A large number of participants attended the Conference, from Europe and the Middle East. In particular, the Jordanian attendance was overwhelming; statesmen, lawyers, businessmen, deans of universities and men and women from all sorts of fields flocked to attend this important event.
Carrying
the theme: "Globalisation: the WTO and Business Opportunities in
the Middle East", the conference examined the implications of the
accession of new Middle Eastern members to the WTO for the global trading
system and aimed to contribute to a better understanding of business investment
opportunities in the Middle East that are partially or entirely a result
of the operation of the WTO Agreements.
The program of the Conference covered a broad range of WTO-related issues
such as services, investment, accession, intellectual property, dispute
settlement, the Doha Round and the relation between free trade agreements
and the WTO.
The
Opening Session speakers were: |
| H.E.
Dr. Salah Al-Bashir |
The
First and Second Sessions speakers: |
| Mr.
Peter Morrison Ms. Jayashree Watal Dr. Ahmad Masa’deh Mr. Philippe Ruttley Dr. Edwini Kessie Dr. Arthur Appleton Mr. Marc Weisberger |
The
first and second sessions' panel discussions were chaired by:
H.E. Dr. Khalid Al-Wazani
H.E. Mr. Samer Al-Taweel
The full notes, speeches, lectures and presentations made at the conference will be published very soon in a book to be issued in English by an international publishing house.
The following respected institutions worked tirelessly to sponsor and
insure the success of the Conference:
