¡¡¡¡JOHANNESBURG, Sept. 1 (Xinhuanet) -- Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said here Sunday that the European Union (EU) was prepared to phase out its huge agricultural subsidies and open itsmarkets to developing nations.

¡¡¡¡Speaking at a business conference on the sidelines of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Rasmussen, who is also current EU president, said "Our long-term objective is clear: We will reform our agricultural policy, and we will bring down trade-distorting subsidies."

¡¡¡¡Rasmussen said the summit should make real progress on free trade, opening markets and dismantling distorting subsidies.

¡¡¡¡"The rich countries should open their markets to the goods thatmany poor countries are best suited to produce, namely food and textiles."

¡¡¡¡The shortest route to a cleaner and sustainable environment wasto raise standards of living in the developing nations, through development and economic growth, Rasmussen said.

¡¡¡¡Increased free trade and market access was the key to achieve this economic growth, which would, in turn, help to eradicate poverty and improve the environment, he said.

¡¡¡¡The EU was committed to conclude the Doha trade talks and was ready to take further action to enhance the benefits of trade and liberalization.

¡¡¡¡Rasmussen said rich states should also provide poor countries with clean drinking water, better sanitation and sewerage, and live up to their commitment on development aid.

¡¡¡¡"I believe we have an obligation to do the right thing, to solve the single biggest problem in the world: to provide clean drinking water and sanitation for every village, town and city on the planet," he said.

¡¡¡¡A proposed target to cut the number of people in the world without access to sanitation by 2015 is another outstanding issue in the WSSD talks, with the US opposing any such target.

¡¡¡¡Rasmussen said by providing water and sanitation two million lives could be saved every year, and half a billion people would be prevented from suffering serious diseases.

¡¡¡¡It would cost about 200 billion US dollars, but could be humanity's best investment to achieve development and sustainability, according to the current EU president.

¡¡¡¡However, the people of the developing world would not benefit from trade and aid if they were badly governed, suppressed and prevented from free exchange of information, news and ideas, Rasmussen said.

¡¡¡¡"All countries should live up to good governance... when aid and trade are linked to good policy, more people can be lifted out of poverty," he said. Enditem

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