PM wants WTO to play due role

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Tuesday stressed that the World Trade Organization (WTO) and its director general should play their due role for the speedy completion of the agreed decisions at its Doha round talks in the greater interest of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), including Bangladesh, reports UNB.
The Prime Minister made the call when visiting WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo paid a courtesy call on her at her office.
Prime Minister's Deputy Press Secretary Bijan Lal Dev briefed reporters after the meeting.
Sheikh Hasina said it was the right time for the WTO for implementing the decisions of the Bali Ministerial Conference, and assured him of Bangladesh's all-out support to it in this regard.
Referring to WTO Doha Round, she said implementation of the decisions taken at the conference would pave the path for LDCs to get the market access as well as duty- and quota-free access to developed countries.
Such access would enhance external trade and exports from the LDCs that would create good benefits for the poor people of the countries like Bangladesh, she said.
The WTO Director General said Bangladesh was an inspiring country in the WTO negotiation process.
Roberto Azevedo said though it was very critical to ensure the rights of the LDCs in global trade, Bangladesh had a very strong leadership and an influential position in the LDC group to protect their interest.
In this regard, he said, Bangladesh was highly equipped to lead the negotiation process and the WTO was on the right track to achieve different things, including market as well as duty- and quota-free access for the LDCs.
The trend and spirit would have to be maintained for sustainable development of the process, Azevedo said adding that duty- quota-free access was important for developing countries.
"You've a strong leadership and influential position among the LDCs," he said.
Azevedo said the economies of the LDCs improved a lot under Bangladesh's leadership. "This spirit needs to be upheld," he said adding that Bangladesh played an important role in the Bali Ministerial Conference held last year.
The WTO DG also lauded Bangladesh's stunning progress in the economic sector in recent years. "Bangladesh is doing a lot of progress in economy in recent times."
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, Ambassador At-Large M Ziauddin, PM's Principal Secretary Abdus Sobhan Sikdar and Deputy Press Secretary Bijan Lal Dev and Bangladesh's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Abdul Hannan were, among others, present on the occasion.