Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Minister of Industry, Trade and Supply Yarub Qudah said Saturday that estimates of reconstruction projects in war-torn Iraq and Syria could amount to $2 trillion over a period of 10 years.

Qudah said at a dinner hosted by the Amman Chamber of Commerce for participants in the Arab-African Economic Forum, which was held in Amman, that achieving Arab integration is a dire necessity to participate and win the big share in the reconstruction bonanza.

"Arab countries are on the verge of an extraordinary opportunity for Arab economic integration tied to the reconstruction in Iraq and Syria, and later on in Yemen and Libya, which required laying out plans and ideas that are implementable on the ground", he told the gathering.

He warned that a missed opportunity of economic integration would deny Arabs the chance to join the reconstruction process or compete globally for the bonanza in the region.

The minister also said the size of Arab trade and investment with Africa is still at its lowest levels, calling for forging real partnerships between the two sides to achieve industrial integration, as abundant raw materials in Africa would be a major base for an industrial "renaissance" in the Arab world.