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Zoellick declares Saudia as WB’s key partner
Jeddah—Saudi Arabia is the World Bank’s key partner
in the Arab World supporting further Arab integration in the global
economy, according to Robert B. Zoellick, president of the World
bank, who visited Saudi Arabia last week. “Our cooperation programme
in Saudi Arabia relies on the institution’s capacity to leverage
knowledge and best practice from different parts of the world. At
the same time, we are engaging with Saudi Arabia as a key player in
the Arab World to support further Arab integration in the global
economy,” Zoellick said in a statement made available to Khaleej
Times here on Friday.
Zoellick said that he had listened and learned from Saudi Arabia’s
experience in meeting development challenges, in mobilising South to
South investments, and from its expertise in agricultural
development. He commended the Kingdom for its economic reforms that
have ranked the country as a top Doing Business Reformer in 2007.
He said that Saudi Arabia is the largest Arab shareholder in the
World Bank Group, and the visit was “an opportunity to continue the
dialogue on how we can advance the Arab World initiative that we
launched last year to address the region’s social and economic
priorities.” “It is also a chance to work together to support
agricultural development that can become part of a New Deal for
Global Food Policy,” he said after meeting Custodian of the Two Holy
Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz.
Earlier this year, the World Bank Group launched consultations
across the Arab World with Arab Development Funds, the Arab League,
civil society, private sector and governments in a number of Arab
Countries. “Saudi Arabia’s active engagement will be needed to
achieve progress on priorities identified by the Bank’s Arab
shareholders such as job creation, enhancing the investment climate,
improving regional trade, improving the quality of education,
promoting the inclusion of women, youth and minorities, more
efficient management of natural resources, and overcoming poverty. —AFP
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