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Arrangements of Inaugural Ministerial Meeting of the Middle East & North Africa Financial Action Task Force (“MENAFATF”) against Money laundering and Terrorist Financing
Published Date
27 Nov 2004
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Under the gracious patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister, Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa , the Inaugural Ministerial Meeting of the Middle East and North African Financial Action Task Force (MENAFATF) against Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing will be hosted by the Kingdom of Bahrain on the 29th and 30th of November 2004 at the Gulf International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Shaikh Hesham bin Abdulrahman Al Khalifa, Head of Central Strategy Office, Ministry of Finance and National Economy (MOFNE) said that the ministers participating in the meeting are:

  • Ahmed A. Mekki, Deputy Chairman of Financial Affairs and Power Resources Council and Minister of National Economy, Sultanate of Oman.
  • Alawi Saleh Al-Salami, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Yemen.
  • Dr. Mohamed Al-Hussain, Minister of Finance, Syria. - Fathalla Oualalou, Minister of Finance and Privatization, Morocco.
  • Abdalatif Benachenhou, Minister of Finance, Algeria.

The list of Governors includes:

  • Hamad Bin Soaud Al Sayari, Governor, Saudi Monetary Agency.
  • Shaikh Salim Bin Abdulaziz Al-Subah, Governor, Central Bank of Kuwait.
  • Hamoud bin Sangour Al-Zadjali, Executive President, Central Bank of Oman.
  • Abdulla Bin Khalid Al Attia, Governor, Central Bank of Qatar.
  • Sultan Bin Nasser Al-Suwaidi, Governor, Central Bank of UAE.
  • Dr. Umayya Toukan, Governor, Central Bank of Jordan.

Also participating are a number of senior officials, including:

  • Dr. Nasser Ibrahim Al Kaud, Director of Finance and Monetary Integration, Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Secretariat.
  • Serry Mahmoud Siam, Assistant Minister of Justice and Chairman of Board of Trustees of Anti-Money Laundering Unit, Egypt.
  • Dr. Muhammad Baasiri, Secretary, Special Investigation Commission, Lebanon.
  • Zar Hedy, Deputy Governor, Central Bank of Tunisia.

“The first day will be devoted to technical sessions, held on experts level. Shaikh Ebrahim bin Khalifa Al Khalifa, Undersecretary, MOFNE, who is also the Chairman of the Bahrain Government’s Anti-Money Laundering Policy Committee, will chair Bahrain’s delegation and the technical sessions. The Ministerial meeting will be chaired by the Minister of Finance and National Economy, Abdulla Hassan Saif,” added Shaikh Hesham.

The Minister of Finance and National Economy will hold a press conference on the second day of the meeting to shed light on the nature of the new regional body and the significance of the choice of Bahrain to be the host of the MENAFATF Secretariat.

Shaikh Hesham concluded by affirming that all necessary measures had been taken by MOFNE in order to ensure that the meeting would be a success. Specialised committees formed to undertake the preparations for the event are in contact with other ministries and agencies on topics like reception of delegations, transportation, coverage in the media, security measurements and other administrative and organizational aspects.