June 07, 2007	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 21, 1428

ISLAMABAD, June 6: The Pakistan-United Arab Emirates (UAE) joint ministerial commission will meet here on June 11 after a gap of 10 years amid hopes of making some progress on key issues, including rice for increasing cooperation between the two countries.

This would be the ninth session of the joint commission, to be held here for discussing various issues pending for the last many years.

The UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shaikh Abdallah Bin Zayid Al Nahyan, is leading the UAE delegation.

The last meeting of the joint commission was held in the later part of the year 1996.

An official told Dawn on Wednesday the two sides would discuss various issues related to new oil refineries, projects financed through Abu Dhabi Fund for Development, possibility of listing Pakistani and UAE companies in each others stock exchanges will also be explored.

The two sides would also explore possibilities of joint venture between the EPZA and EZ World (Economic Zones World), cooperation in agriculture and water conservation sectors, UAE green house expertise for farming, cooperation in livestock and dairy sectors, coordination between animal husbandry commissionerate and general secretariat of municipalities in UAE for halal meat and other food products to name a few.

For rice sector, most important issue of UAE government’s imposition of ceiling price on sale of Pakistani Basmati rice under their ministerial decision No. 128 will come up for review.