President Bill Clinton on Wednesday proposed giving the world’s poorest countries greater duty-free access to US markets. The United States is discussing the initiative with Japan and the European Union, which has floated a similar proposal ahead of the World Trade Organisation meeting in Seattle this week. The initiative, announced in a White House statement, calls on all WTO members to enhance market access for products from the least-developed countries. Congress is expected to approve the measure early next year. The legislation will expand for countries of sub-Saharan Africa an existing programme that allows some products from the world’s poorest countries to enter the United States duty free.