May 18, 2002	Saturday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 5, 1423

RIYADH, May 17: A Pakistani delegation has been invited to visit Saudi Arabia in July to sign agreement with the Kingdom under which the ban on Pakistani meat products, including chilled and frozen goat and lamb meat, with the exception of beef, will be lifted.

The authorities at the Saudi Foreign Ministry have extended an official invitation to Pakistani officials in order to sign a joint agreement as per the request from the Saudi Commerce Ministry.

The ministry’s requests is based on the recommendations made by the Saudi technical delegation comprising officials of the ministries of health, commerce, agriculture and water that visited Pakistan last December. The delegation recommended lifting of the temporary ban on goats and sheep meat.

Meanwhile, the UAE government has also permitted three Pakistani companies to export meat to the UAE. This was made known after the UAE administration lifted restrictions on meat imports from Pakistan.