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By Hadi Fornaji.
Tripoli, 1 Ocober 2013:
A high-level Washington meeting of industrialists, . . .[restrict]diplomats and informed commentators is being hosted on Thursday by the American Chamber of Commerce in Libya.
The invitation-only gathering, which has drawn executives from 59 US companies, is billed as the “Libya Industry Day”. However, AmCham Libya president Richard Griffiths said the focus will be less about short-term deal-making and more about the long-term strategic needs of Libya, the way in which American firms can understand the challenges of the market and how they can set about investing in it.
Co-hosted by US law firm Patton Boggs, which during the Revolution gave a temporary home to the National Transitional Council’s US diplomatic mission and still acts as an advisor to the government in Tripoli, the intense six-hour meeting is set to hear from speakers from the Libyan government, the Pentagon and State Department as well as industry. The key sectors for discussion will include corporate security, national security and the role of the U.S. defence industry, as well as infrastructure and health care. The legal aspect of the day will embrace market-entry regulation, compliance and licensing issues as they relate to Libyan-U.S. business relationships
David E. Dunn, a partner in Patton Boggs’ MENA practice group, said : “Libya is the largest oil and gas producer in the Mediterranean, and its people have fought for those riches to be committed to provide them security, decent health care and improved infrastructure and employment opportunity. These subjects will be the focus of presentations by government and business leaders during our Libya Industry Day.”
Griffiths explained to the Libya Herald: “ This is not going to be simply another business meeting. It is far more about understanding the challenges that Libya faces and seeing how US firms can respond to these. AmCham Libya’s mission is to support the development of trade and economic ties between Libya and the United States. This type of forum is designed to encourage dialogue that invites US firms to understand the current economic and geo-political situation in Libya”.
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