The survey ratings show a clear dominance by airports in Asia over those in Europe

As part of ZIM's ongoing effort to improve and upgrade its services in response to market needs, ZIM decided to upgrade its East Africa Service

The deal was announced during a two-day summit of Mercosur leaders in the Uruguayan capital

The 2007 index showed an improvement in Israel's standing from last year, rising to 30th place out of the 180 countries surveyed, while in 2006 Israel was ranked 34. This year's score rose to 6.1 out of 10, compared with 5.9 in 2006

One of the issues which will be brought before the committee is the linking of Eilat port to the Israeli railway network

Mofaz expressed his commitment to the port as a strategic port to the Israeli economy. The question of linking Eilat port to the Israeli railway network was the main issue raised by the port managing director

The main contenders to join besides Israel are Chile, Brazil, Russia, China, India, South Africa, Cyprus and the latest European Union members

Israel is ranked in 20th place for economic strength. It has climbed 20 places from 45th to 25th in the ratings for international investment