Ratification

5月7日，海灣六國的財政部長召開集體會議，討論了包括2010年海灣統一貨幣發行和對美自由貿易協議在內的經濟整合問題。外電報道如下：Finance ministers from six Gulf states met Saturday to discuss economic integration, including a unified currency and a free trade agreement with the United States, an official said. Washington wants free trade deals with numerous Middle East countries as a prelude to President Bush's ultimate goal of creating a regional free trade area by 2013. Bahrain has its own agreement awaiting U.S. Congress ratification. Two other members of the six-state Gulf Cooperation Council -- Oman and the United Arab Emirates -- have started talks on free trade deals with the U.S. Ratification表示“批準，承認，簽署認可”，其動詞形式為ratify，例如：to ratify the treaty（批準條約）；ratify an amendment to a constitution（批準憲法修正案）。 據悉，海灣六國早已承諾將于2010年發行統一的海灣合作組織（GCC）貨幣，這是GCC國家經濟一體化進程的重要步驟。這一舉措具有深遠意義，將會擴大內部貿易規模，有利于擺脫依賴石油化工的狀況，實現經濟多元化，其次，有利于海灣國家以新貨幣定價進行銷售，改變目前以美元進行定價的貨幣體系。 （中國日報網站編）