Private sector to have a say in policy decisions

The heads of state of Gulf oil producers have agreed to demands by their private sector to have a bigger say in economic decisions taken jointly by their governments, the chief of the region's private sector said yesterday.

The leaders of the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) approved the private sector's request for greater involvement in decision-making in the economy and other sectors at their semi-annual summit talks in Riyadh early this month, said Abdul Rahim Naqi, Secretary General of the Dammam-based Federation of the GCC Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

In a statement sent to Emirates Business, Naqi said the new summit decision meant that representatives of the GCC private sector would participate in periodical meetings of the group's ministers and other government officials and would be consulted on any resolution before it gets final approval.