HONG KONG, Dec. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Ministers from 149 members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) vowed on Sunday to successfully conclude the Doha Round trade talks by the end of 2006.
"We renew our resolve to complete the Doha Work Program fully and to conclude the negotiations launched at Doha successfully in 2006," said a ministerial declaration issued at the conclusion of the Sixth Ministerial Conference.
"We emphasized the central importance of the development dimension in every aspect of the Doha Work Program and recommit ourselves to making it a meaningful reality," the declaration said.
The ministers have been meeting here since Tuesday in a new bid to advance the Doha Round talks, which have bogged down in a deadlock over farm subsidies pitting mainly rich countries against poor ones.
The Doha Round, launched in the Qatari capital in 2001, aims to lift barriers to trade and reduce poverty in developing countries. Enditem |