Continued differences within WTO over agriculture
Regional, Economics, 6/26/2003

Moroccan foreign trade minister, Mustapha Mechahouri, who took part in a preparatory meeting to the WTO 5th ministerial conference in the Egyptian red sea resort of Sharm El Sheik, said the agriculture sector is still a bone of contention between industrialized and developed countries.

The official told MAP there was no concrete proposal on this issue during the Sharm El Sheik meeting.

He said developing countries want markets to be open to their agricultural products through a reduction of customs duties, heeding specificity of some developing countries, cutting subsidies to exports in some developed countries, mainly the USA and the EU and reducing subsidies extended to farmers in these countries.

For Mechahouri, nobody is expecting a breakthrough on the issue of agriculture that is the base of worldwide trade exchange in the ministerial conference scheduled in Cancun, Mexico, next September.

Viewpoints came closer concerning preferential treatment while divergences persisted on health and copyright issues, he stressed. (MAP)SH

Previous Stories:
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  World Bank calls for better land policies for the poor   (6/21/2003)
  WTO starts plenary session in Sharm el Sheikh today   (6/21/2003)

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