Source: Xinhuanet

11-15-2006 18:25

HANOI, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Pascal Lamy on Wednesday appealed to the APEC business community to push for a successful conclusion of the Doha round of negotiations.

Addressing a luncheon of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Business Advisory Council (ABAC) meeting here, Lamy urged the APEC business community "to play a leading role in ensuring a transparent and predictable global business environment, building bridges over differences and advancing freer trade."

He asked the business community to lobby their respective governments and negotiators to show a more visible political engagement and to put greater flexibility on the negotiation table, and help advocate the benefits of the round to raise public awareness and support for trade opening on a global scale.

Lamy also suggested the APEC business community engage themselves as much as they can by telling their negotiators the difficulties and unfair treatment they have met in doing business.

"The Asia-Pacific region has, without any doubt, become the most vibrant region on this planet," Lamy said, adding that with 2.6 billion people, around 60 percent of world GDP and 50 percent of world trade, "APEC economies do have a big stake in the success of the Doha Round."

The Doha Development Agenda (DDA), established in 2001, sets out goals for liberalizing trade in agriculture, manufactured goods and services. The trade negotiations, however, have stalled due to strong objections from the developed nations.

Editor:Sun Luying