LatAm Urges Development Agenda at the WTO

Geneva, Oct 17. -Cuba, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Bolivia and Venezuela lead the demands to prioritize development and solutions to commercial conflicts two months short of the World Trade Organization Dec. 15-17 Ministerial Conference.The Developing Countries Informal Group, majority within the 153-member WTO have leant through debates in the latest days to address relevant topics.

In the presence of the WTO General Director, Pascal Lamy, and WTO General Council President, Cuban Charge D'Affair, Nancy Madrigal, reminds that non discrimination is a key WTO regulation and with support from several Latin American countries, champions an initiative on E-trade to land by December a Ministerial decision on non discriminatory access to information technologies.

The initiative includes telecommunications and other sites on the Internet plus a monitoring mechanism to study discrimination cases.

Madrigal stressed that the WTO members are to show political will to solve this specific problem of the Developing Countries 13 years after announcing the stalled Work Program.

On the affair, the Cuban official says the brains behind the initiative have held successful exchange with several missions, the latest with Latin American and Caribbean countries interested in a comprehensive approach of the proposal. (Prensa Latina)