Ambassadors of three Arab countries on Friday urged Utah business and education leaders to make full use of revolutions that erupted in Arab countries this year to cultivate deeper ties between the state and the Middle East.

"This is a new life for Moroccan politics. We hope to see a more vibrant political life in the country," Aziz Mekouar, Morocco's ambassador to the United States, said at a Salt Lake City event.

On July 1, Moroccans approved a new constitution, which calls for King Mohammed VI to give up half his power to a prime minister appointed by the parliament's majority party. Supported by the country's main Islamist party, the constitution also secures the rights of women and non-Arabs.

"Of course, not everything is rosy. But the king and everybody is trying to do their best," Mekouar said to an audience of about 150 who attended a forum in Salt Lake City on business opportunities in the Middle East.

The forum was put on by the National U.S.-Arab Chamber of Commerce, which arranged for the ambassadors to be in Utah's capital at the same time the National Governors Association is meeting here and the Arab Spring is still under way.

Mekouar's observation that Morocco was the first nation to acknowledge U.S. independence from Great Britain with a treaty of peace and friendship signed in 1786 was met with a loud round of applause from the audience.

His appearance was followed by Hunaina Al-Mughairy, Oman's ambassador to the U.S., and then by Mohamed Tekaya, appointed Tunisia's ambassador to the U.S. three months before the Tunisian revolution in January, which sparked the still-unfolding Arab Spring.

Tekaya's visit comes at a critical time for post-revolutionary Tunisia in its quest for democratic reform. As a result of the country's political instability – from within its own borders and from its neighbor, Libya – Tunisia is fighting falling investment, plummeting tourism revenues and surging numbers of refugees.

The ambassador acknowledged Tunisia's economic and political challenges. Like Morocco's representative in Washington, Tekaya reminded the audience that his country was one of the first nations to accept American independence. Tunisian recognition of the U.S. came in 1795.

"That relationship has proved to be a strong one," Tekaya said. "Our country is open. The revolution has created real opportunities for business."

Protests over jobs, food prices and political corruption erupted in Oman in March, but the sultanate has largely escaped the bloody upheavals in nearby Bahrain and other Arab countries. Sultan Qaboos bid Said responded with reforms that included increased parliamentary powers and more government jobs.

At the forum, Al-Mughairy repeatedly emphasized Oman's open-market economy. She said the country's "stable and far-sighted" government offers "unmatched" business incentives to foreign investors.

The government has taken up a policy of economic diversification with an emphasis on agriculture, fisheries, tourism, mining, light industry and petrochemicals, she said.

Mukund Karanjikar, director of innovations at Technology Holding LLC, said his Salt Lake City company's energy, environment and medical device products will be a good fit as standards of living rise in the Arab world.

"The demographics of these countries are very different" from the U.S., Karanjikar said. "More young people mean more [sales], and that is where our perspective is."

David Hansen, president of Salt Lake City-based XV Pillars, said his energy and materials brokerage firm sees the Middle East as more than an uptapped market.

"We are expanding to the Middle East because it's both a business opportunity and an opportunity to embrace other cultures," Hansen said.

pbeebe@sltrib.com

Twitter: @SLTribPaul —

U.S.-Middle East trade ties

Morocco • Signed a free trade agreement with the U.S. in 2004. Exports to the kingdom rose to $1.95 billion in 2010, a 21 percent increase from 2009. Exports included food, transportation equipment, minerals, machinery, computers and other electronic gear and paper.

Tunisia • Signed a trade and investment agreement in 2002. U.S. exports in 2010 totaled $571.2 million, a 14 percent increase from the previous year. Exports included chemicals, agricultural products, food, petroleum and coal.

Oman • A free-trade pact signed with the U.S. in 2004 was implemented in 2009. U.S. exports totaled $1.1 billion in 2010, up 1.3 percent. Exports included chemicals, computers, fabricated metal products and transportation equipment.