The National Council of the Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry held its mid-year meeting in Canberra on 17 and 18 June 2008. To mark the occasion, the Chamber offered a reception on the evening of 17 June to which the distinguished members of the Arab diplomatic corps were invited, along with Australia’s Foreign Minister, The Hon Stephen Smith MP, and senior government officials and business members of the Chamber.

Mr Smith, who had just returned from a visit to a number of Arab countries, delivered an address to guests at the reception. The Minister highlighted the breadth of Australia’s relations with the Arab countries, noting in particular the economic dimension of Australia’s interests in the region. He also referred to the current global food crisis and praised a recent decision of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to donate $500 million to the World Food Program.

The Minister also referred to the Australian government’s commitment to a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and noted that one of the first decisions of the current Australian government was to double the level of development assistance to the Palestinian people.