MITI Optimistic Of 10th WTO Ministerial Conference Success

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 15 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) is optimistic of the success of the 10th World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Nairobi, Kenya, which begins Tuesday. In a statement Monday, MITI said the conference would be able to chart a more concrete work programme to revitalise the Doha Development Agenda. The ministry said the conference would review WTO's works and allow trade ministers to provide further political guidance on negotiations conducted under the organisation's scope. "Besides commemorating the 20th anniversary of the WTO, the conference is a crucial milestone for the WTO to review implementation issues agreed upon at previous conferences. "This include decisions related to the economic progress of its developing nation members, plus charting the WTO work programme for 2016 and subsequent years," it said. MITI said Malaysia would participate in the Cairns Group Ministerial Meeting and the Islamic Development Bank's Ministerial Consultative Meeting on the sidelines of the WTO Conference. The conference will also officially accept the accessions of Liberia and Afghanistan as new WTO members, bringing the total membership to 164," it said. MITI said its minister, Mustapa Mohamed would be attending the four-day WTO Ministerial Conference, during which he would meet several of his counterparts to discuss WTO-related issues and bilateral trade. He is also expected to have a roundtable session and bilateral meetings with private sector representatives from Kenya and meet the Malaysian community in Nairobi. --BERNAMA