DOHA/ZAGREB, Nov 11 (Hina) - Croatia has strongly supported an initiative on launching another round of multilateral talks on the liberalisation of world trade at the fourth ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation,
which is being held in Doha, Qatar. "A new, comprehensive round of multilateral trade negotiations is the imperative" of the Doha conference, Croatia's European Integration Minister Neven Mimica said in a speech at the conference. Repeating the failure of the Seattle conference would be detrimental to the entire world trade system, especially in the light of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and their impact on global economy, Mimica said. Further trade liberalisation and the strengthening of the WTO system is the best model for long-term economic growth and sustainable development, which Croatia, too, wants to contribute to, he said. "Croatia is attendin
DOHA/ZAGREB, Nov 11 (Hina) - Croatia has strongly supported an
initiative on launching another round of multilateral talks on the
liberalisation of world trade at the fourth ministerial conference
of the World Trade Organisation, which is being held in Doha,
Qatar.
"A new, comprehensive round of multilateral trade negotiations is
the imperative" of the Doha conference, Croatia's European
Integration Minister Neven Mimica said in a speech at the
conference.
Repeating the failure of the Seattle conference would be
detrimental to the entire world trade system, especially in the
light of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States and
their impact on global economy, Mimica said. Further trade
liberalisation and the strengthening of the WTO system is the best
model for long-term economic growth and sustainable development,
which Croatia, too, wants to contribute to, he said.
"Croatia is attending the WTO conference for the first time as a
full member and at a very delicate moment when it is decided whether
it is possible to launch a new round of talks," Mimica told Hina on
the phone.
Croatia has endorsed "comprehensive negotiations", which are
requested by the European Union and developed countries. The
Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other Asian
countries support separate negotiations while developing
countries oppose the opening of a new round until what was agreed at
the Uruguay round is carried out.
The success of the Doha conference is therefore very uncertain.
Six working groups were formed on Saturday with the task to try to
reach a compromise solution until the end of the conference on
Tuesday.
Croatia has stressed that the obligations it took over during the
process of admission to the WTO exceed those taken over by member-
countries during the Uruguay round and it would therefore find
possible new obligations concerning the lowering of customs rates
difficult to implement.
The same reservations were expressed by another seven newly-
admitted members (Albania, Georgia, Jordan, Kirghisztan,
Lithuania, Moldavia and Oman), which suggested, together with
Croatia, that the ministerial declaration and future negotiations
include some form of a flexibility mechanism for them so that the
overlapping of obligations could be avoided.
In his speech Mimica pointed to the importance Croatia, as a small
and open economy in transition, attaches to market liberalisation
on the regional level.
Mimica met with representatives from Romania, Turkey and Baltic
countries to discuss free trade agreements.
(hina) rml