DALIAN (China), July 12: Pakistan on Tuesday assured its all-out support to the developing countries on ensuring free access of their agriculture products to the world market, under the new WTO’s arrangements.

“We along with China and other developing countries have taken identical position, seeking a safeguard mechanism for the agriculture sector,” this was stated by the Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan in an interview with APP.

The Minister, who is here to attend the informal mini-ministerial meeting of the WTO member countries, said Pakistan and other developing countries were seeking elimination of subsidies and government’s support on the agricultural products in the developed countries, so that the LDCs could get a competitive position for export of their products.

The ministerial meeting is the highest-level WTO gathering being held in China and is part of the Doha Round of trade liberalization talks.

Some 32 trade ministers are taking part, out of the WTO’s full members of 148. The Doha Round of talks, launched in the Qatar’s capital in 2001, aims at expanding free trade in a way that benefits poor nations.

“China has arranged the ministerial meeting at an appropriate time, we are confident it would help in making a substantial progress to achieve common objective under WTO’s arrangements, the minister said.

Replying to a question, the Minister said “the biggest barrier is huge subsidy on agriculture the rich and the developed nations offer to their farmers. Also there is domestic support and the market is restrictive for less developed countries to get access of their products in developed countries.

“So our demand is elimination of subsidy and substantial reduction of government support,” he said, adding “we want to have a safeguard mechanism for promoting the export of their agriculture products to the world market.”

Humayun Akhtar said Pakistan fully supported the G-33 point of view. “We feel this is now time to do our technical work and come up with more tangible and substantive criteria which can be offered to the negotiating groups and there was a consensus on this thinking.”

He explained that G-20 nations’ group is an overall agriculture negotiating group, while G-33 is dealing with special products, seeking special safeguard mechanism having fair and equitable trading under the WTO’s rules and regulations.

Pakistan, he said had taken common position with the G-33 countries. “We support the basic concept of G-33 and have given our suggestions to make the negotiation more practical.”

Replying to another question, the minister said Pakistan fully supported the demand by the developing nations to the developed countries seeking elimination of export subsidies within a period of five years. “That has also been agreed that the domestic support will be reduced and market access will be substantially improved,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Ministers met here this morning aimed at trying to reach “realistic” agreements on key issues, including agriculture. With WTO negotiations reaching a “critical stage”, they are engaged to evolve political guidance on key issues like agriculture and prepare a roadmap for the WTO conference to he held in December.

“Our expectation is that the Dalian meeting will be a successful one which will promote the Doha Round,” spokesman for the meeting, Zhang Xiangchen told reporters here at the northeast Chinese port city.

“The negotiation is now at a critical juncture. According to the prescribed agenda, members should reach the so-called ‘first approximation’ by the end of July this year,” Zhang, also Deputy Director General of WTO Affairs of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, said.

“We hope that by holding full discussions on key issues among ministers, this meeting would provide political guidance to the negotiation process in Geneva, bring negotiations on first approximation towards substantial progress at the end of July, and create favourable conditions for the success of the meeting in Hong Kong,” he said.

On the other hand, ministers from the Group of 20 met Tuesday ahead of a crucial WTO ministerial meeting to hammer out a common stance to negotiate global trade liberalization efforts with industrialized powers.

At the talks in Dalian’s exclusive Bangchuidao Hotel, Chinese Trade Minister Bo Xilai, host of both meetings, urged the G20 countries to fulfil their role in defending the interests of developing nations.

“As host of the (WTO) mini-ministerial meeting, China’s goal is to create points of discussion for the meeting in Geneva at the end of July and create the conditions for success at the WTO ministerial summit in Hong Kong in December,” Bo said.

Some 32 trade ministers are set to take part in the Dalian meeting out of the WTO’s full membership of 148.—AFP