http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?p...4-9-2005_pg7_60
Israel waives import licence for Pakistani goods
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: The Israeli government has temporarily waived requisite import licence requirements for importing goods from Pakistan, BBC radio reported on Tuesday.
Israeli Trade, Industry and Employment Minister Ehud Olmert on Monday signed an amendment bill on Israel’s import policy, allowing Pakistani goods in Israeli markets without the requirement of an import licence.
The Israeli government took this decision in a bid to ease import from Pakistan, the radio reported.
The decision is also seen as a step towards “warming relations” between Israel and Pakistan.
The report said that by allowing Pakistani goods in the Israeli market, the Israeli Foreign Ministry was showing its will to maintain trade relations with one of the most important countries of South Asia.
The import licence waiver comes in the wake of a meeting between Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri and Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom.
The two countries had secretly exchanged goods on a smaller scale in the past. In 1995, Pakistan exported goods worth 5.6 million pounds to Israel while Israel exported goods worth 500,000 pounds to Pakistan, the radio report said. The Israelis were interested in importing cloth from Pakistan, the report added.