ABSTRACT
For South-South cooperation to succeed, it must be built on a viable base of regional and interregional trade and development. Cooperation in energy among the Arab countries is of recent origin. Non-commercial energy provides the developing countries with about 25 per cent or more of the energy they consume. Several of the major energy exporting countries offer considerable market potential for the exports of the energy importing countries, and the energy importing countries can offer good investment opportunities for the surplus funds of the energy exporters. The production/consumption ratios given above are for commercial energy only and would be higher with the inclusion of non-commercial energy. A promising source of energy for the developing countries, solar energy is at present being used mainly for household water heating through collectors. The developing countries will have to strengthen their regional and global cooperation in energy research and development and in exchanging information.
