One of the major topics for discussion at the third annual meeting of the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development, which opened in Beirut, Lebanon on Tuesday (16 April) is the increase in the Fund's capital, currently standing at 100-million Kuwait Dinars (24 million US dollars).

The Fund participates in the financing of economic and social developments in Arab States and countries. Member nations are Lebanon, Jordan, Tunisia, Algeria, Sudan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Kuwait, Morocco, the Yemen Arab Republic, the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Bahrain and Qatar.

The three-day conference is also reviewing the Fund's activities over the past year, including the loan recently agreed of 20-million Kuwait Dinars (5 million US dollars) to Sudan, Egypt and Algeria.