Saudi Arabia has set up an inquiry-cell “hotline” to register quality standards complaints from countries importing Saudi goods, said Nabil A. Molla, chief of Saudi Arabian Standards Organization (SASO). Molla said Saudi Arabia has so far implemented 9,000 quality standards complying with International Standards Organization (ISO) and is seeking to add on more so as to improve Saudi trade relations with importing countries. Molla was speaking at a two-day workshop that he inaugurated in Riyadh, Sunday. The workshop was themed “Sharing Partners in Announcing International Quality Standards”. He said any member of the World Trade Organization, which Saudi Arabia has joined, can lodge a complaint with SASO if any Saudi manufacturer failS to comply with international quality standards. “Besides a World Trade Organization requirement, the basic aim of adopting to international quality standards is to ease the flow of trade between Arab and other countries,” he said. He, however, added that the Kingdom would continue to implement national quality standards that do not contradict WTO requirements or hamper international trade. SASO is also coordinating with Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT), a WTO body of which the Kingdom is signatory. The Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade seeks to ensure that regulations, standards, testing and certification procedures do not create unnecessary obstacles. The workshop is being held in cooperation with the International Standards Organization and Mars. Dr. Mahmoud Isa, chief of Egyptian Standards Organization, and other senior staff from similar agencies in Middle Eastern countries, high-ranking officials from ISO, academics from universities and representatives from Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CSCCI) are attending the two-day workshop. he said that adapting to international standards will not only benefit Saudi manufacturers but also help growth of the national economy. The workshop is aimed at creating awareness among Saudi manufacturers and industrialists about the prerequisites of world trade. “You cannot promote trade with the other countries unless you adopt to the international quality standards,” said Dr. Isa. He said that similar workshop organized by Arab Industrial Organization for Industrialization and Minerals would be conducted at SASO headquarters, aimed at unification of Arab standards that comply with the ISO requirement. He said around 15 representatives from different Arab countries would participate in the two-day workshop starting Tuesday. The workshop, to focus on unification of standards in the Arab world, coincides with Arab Standards Day on March 25. Each representative from Arab countries will present the strategies, plans and points of view on standardization. For instance, SASO will present a paper on Laboratory Testing procedures at the workshop. He said there is a great degree of awareness among Saudi manufacturers and industrialists on the significance of adopting international quality standards. However, he said it is not only about adopting the standards but also about applying the laboratory testing system that complies with WTO requirements. He said consumers will be the ultimately beneficiaries of quality standards that guarantee safety and reduces health risk. “SASO has been doing a good job in checking the quality of imported goods in the Kingdom,” he said. __
