Arabs push for Arabic to be official WTO language

Arab members of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) are pushing for Arabic to be made a fourth official language of the global trade body, diplomats and officials said on Tuesday.

But the heavy cost of translation, interpreting and extra printing involved in adding Arabic to the three current official languages, English, French and Spanish, means the proposal is running up against resistance. "There has been a formal request made by Kuwait and members are engaged in consultations now," WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell said. (Reuters)