THURSDAY, 1.15PM:
DEVELOPING nations are expected to ask the World Trade Organisation for technical assistance in meeting their trade obligations, at the 50th anniversary of the organisation next week.
President Nelson Mandela is joining United States President Bill Clinton, British Prime Minister Tony Blair, European Commission head Jacques Santer, and Switzerland’s Flavio Cotti, to celebrate the anniversary in Geneva, Switzerland on Tuesday.
Director of multilateral trade relations at the Department of Trade and Industry Braam Roodt said the meeting will give developing nations an opportunity to outline the problems they encounter in implementing the WTO’s trading regulations, and to highlight those WTO provisions they find a heavy burden. South Africa, which is regarded as a developing nation, has not encountered any significant problems in fulfilling its obligations, he added.