BANGKOK, March 10 (AFP) - A new round of multilateral trade talks is "necessary" and would benefit all parties, the French minister of state for foreign trade said here Friday.
"It's necessary to launch a new round (of negotiations). It's in all our interests," said Francois Huwart, who was in the Thai capital to end a week-long, three-nation tour of Southeast Asia.
It would be "difficult to consider a launch of a new round by the end of the year" because of the US presidential elections in November, he said, but added one could be launched in 2001.
"Pending the launch of the round we must deepen the dialogue between emerging countries and developed nations," he said.
The French minister also met with the next World Trade Organization (WTO) chief, Supachai Panichpakdi, currently Thailand's vice premier and trade minister.
Supachai is set to succceed New Zealander Mike Moore in two years.
Huwart notably pleaded with Supachai for internal WTO procedural reforms to respond to the "demand for democratization" and to "restore confidence" after the failure of the WTO ministerial meeting in Seattle last December.
The talks failed to launch a new round of trade talks amid demonstrations by protestors who accused it of being undemocratic.
While in Malaysia on Monday, Huwart came out in favor of regulated globalization with a more human face.
"We are in favour of regulated globalisation ... balancing further liberalisation (with) more rule-making and more humanisation of globalisation," he said.
Huwart, who also visited Singapore, is being accompanied on his tour by fellow parliamentarians and about 20 representatives of large French companies, including Alstrom, Matra Marconi Space and Air France.:
