HomeBusiness Mr. Walid Maalouf, Director of Public Diplomacy attended the Tunisia Economic Forum
Mr. Walid Maalouf, Director of Public Diplomacy attended the Tunisia Economic Forum
Thursday, 15 November 2007
Public Diplomacy / Tunisia Economic Forum
On Friday, November 9, 2007 Mr. Walid Maalouf, Director of Public Diplomacy attended the Tunisia Economic Forum and participated in panel one with His Excellency Mohamed Al Nouri Al-Jouwaini, Tunisian Minister of Development & International Cooperation, Dr. Jassim Al-Mannai, Chairman & General Manager, Arab Monetary Fund, UAE and Mr. Jacques Sarraf, President of the Middle East Businessmed discussing the development and future vision of the Tunisian Economy. Remarks attached.
Remarks by Walid Maalouf: Director, Public Diplomacy for Middle Eastern & MEPI Affairs
The Tunisia Economic Forum Gammarth, Tunis Friday, November 9, 2007
More than two millennia ago the Phoenicians built a trading post in North Africa they called Carthage - built just few yards from the very spot we are meeting on today. Carthage grew to become one of the mightiest cities of the ancient world. What made Carthage famous was war, but what helped make Carthage great was trade. Nations cannot prosper unless they have trading and investment partners. Economies cannot grow without open markets and exchanges.
Trade has long played an essential role in spurring economic progress and prosperity
Presidents of the United States, from Franklin Roosevelt to George W. Bush, recognized that the liberalization of global trade is critical to increasing prosperity and raising living standards both in the United States and around the world, why? Because:
•Trade encourages the modernization of economies, and increased competition spurs reform and innovation •Trade fosters the economy and makes it grow, it absolutely creates jobs •Trade has contributed to impressive levels of development and economic growth in countries such as China and India •Trade continues to help lift millions of people out of poverty
U.S. Agency for International Development and the MEPI programs
The US not only promotes economic development and prosperity through our free trade agreements, but through programs through my organization, the U.S. Agency for International Development and through the Middle East Partnership Initiative. In Tunisia, USAID played an active role in Tunisia, helping to build the Tunis-Carthage airport and the Sfax Technology Park. Due to Tunisia’s economic advances, the country moved beyond USAID funding in1994. However, the US is actively engaged in supporting Tunisia’s continued prosperity through the Middle East Partnership Initiative, academic and education exchanges, and through the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement.
US-Tunisia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement
The US – Tunisia trade and investment framework agreement was signed in 2002, signaling our joint commitment to strengthening economic engagement between our two countries. This fall has been active. In September, Principle Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Elizabeth Dibble led a unique interagency economic delegation to Tunisia, comprised of officials from the Department of State, Department of Treasury, the Office of the US Trade Representative and the Department of Commerce. In October, Minister of Development and International Cooperation Al-Jouwaini and the Tunisian-American Chamber of Commerce went to Washington and had productive meetings with US government officials and US businessmen. As I speak, a delegation of American businesspeople led by the US Chamber of Commerce and the Africa Society is here in Tunisia exploring investment opportunities. In early 2008, we hope to hold a formal TIFA Council to exchange views on trade and investment and discuss ways to enhance our economic relations.
Free trade is integral to President Bush's vision of expanded economic opportunity, prosperity and freedom throughout the world. Trade is the engine for the sustained expansion of prosperity around the world. Free trade agreements promote economic openness, development, and trade integration. They also lead to the establishment of legal protections for investors, improvements in intellectual property protection, efficiency in customs procedures, and greater transparency in government and commercial regulations.
Working multilaterally through institutions such as the World Trade Organization, and bilaterally through Free Trade Agreements, the United States is working to remove the barriers to global trade, let me give you some facts:
•Last year, US exports to countries where an FTA was in effect surpassed $437 billion, or 42 percent of US exports -- and today, the United States has FTAs in force with 14 countries.
•These FTAs are part of President Bush’s vision of a Middle East Free Trade Area that integrates the economies of the Middle East and North Africa.
•The results are already impressive: trade between the United States and the Middle East and Maghreb countries has doubled since 2003 -- reaching 138 billion dollars in 2006.
Working together, both in the public and private sectors, country-to-country and internationally, we can help to remove the obstacles to facilitate growth, create jobs and stimulate innovation.
Thank you and I look forward to your questions.
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