Friday, 03 September 2010
|
ROZs being finalised: Zardari
|
|
Saarc-CCI delegation calls on President
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari asked Thursday the Saarc Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Saarc-CCI) to undertake extensive visits of the countries in the region for enhancing trade and commerce wherever possible within the 8-nation grouping adding that concept of Reconstruction Opportunities Zones (ROZs) was being finalised.
President Zardari said this while talking to a delegation of the Saarc-CCI, headed by its President Tariq Sayeed that called on him in the Presidency.The delegation included besides Tariq Sayeed, Iftikhar Ali Malik, Vice President Saarc and Muhammad Iqbal Tabish, Secretary General Saarc-CCI. Waqar Ahmad Khan, Minister for Investment; Salman Farooqui, Secretary General to the President; Salman Ghani, Secretary Commerce; and Shahab Khawaja, Secretary Industries and Production were also present in the meeting. The President said that the government planned to set up cement and ethanol plants in the tribal areas for the economic uplift of the residents. The produce of these plants will be exported to Afghanistan besides its utilisation in the domestic market. He said that Pakistan was part of the international community and can not live in isolation and it was imperative to expand trade and commerce within the region. He said that Pakistan's trade with other countries within the Saarc grouping should not be hampered only because if trade liberalisation with India was a slow process. The President said that the Reconstruction Opportunities Zones (ROZs) concept was being finalised and expressed the hope that it will be materialised before the end of the year. The President said that the private public partnership model will be pursued vigorously to attract foreign investment in the country. He stated that the government had laid renewed emphasis on enhancing Pakistan-China economic ties and advised the delegation to work for increased cooperation between the business and commerce communities of the two countries. The President assured the delegation that he would take up with the government the issues relating to the building of a ten-storey Saarc business secretariat in Islamabad.-Online
|
|