World Trade Organisation talks on the Doha round of trade opening measures are showing encouraging signs of progress on agriculture and an agreement was emerging on the so-called Singapore issues, Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez said here on Friday.
Derbez was briefing journalists on a meeting of ministers from countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development that had discussed trade issues and set the scene for a gathering of ministers from 28 WTO member countries here later on Friday.
Derbez said: "There have been encouraging signs, but much work needs to be done before July on all three pillars to reach a point where a balanced agreement is possible."
This was a reference to export competition, domestic support and market access.
Regarding the Singapore issues, the chairman of the meeting had "sensed an emerging agreement among WTO members".
"Participants must now translate political will into concrete and decisive actions that give impulse to the technical work in Geneva (WTO headquarters)."
Japan and the European Union have been pressing for WTO debate on the Singapore issues -- trade facilitation, transparency in government procurement, competition policies and cross-border investment -- but have run into resistance from developing countries.
The latter have been demanding that progress toward agreement on the Singapore subjects be matched by firm commitments from rich nations to abolish their trade distorting agricultural export subsidies.
The Doha round was launched at a WTO ministerial meeting in the Qatari capital in November 2001 but has made little headway since then.
The negotiations are scheduled to conclude at the end of this year.Agence France Presse:
