Aid Groups Call on WTO to Cancel Meeting

GENEVA - Aid and campaign groups from around the world on Tuesday called on WTO chief Pascal Lamy to cancel a major trade meeting scheduled for the end of this month, saying many poor countries are being excluded from talks.

In a letter to Lamy, 125 organizations - including Oxfam, ActionAid and Third World Network - said the World Trade Organization was trying to force agreement on trade liberalization against opposition from a majority of its 149 members.

'These are the same countries which now face a Doha Round conclusion that, if implemented, would harm the majority of their populations,' the letter said. 'The manner in which the negotiations process has been dominated by the interests of the rich and powerful countries which have forced development issues off the agenda.'

The Doha round - named for the Qatari capital where it was launched in 2001 - aims to boost the global economy and lift millions worldwide out of poverty by lowering trade barriers across all sectors, with particular emphasis on developing countries.

But the round is already two years behind schedule and negotiators have been at an impasse for months, with developing countries demanding that rich nations do more to open up their farm markets. The upcoming meeting in Geneva is aimed at agreeing precise formulas for cutting tariffs and subsidies on industrial and farm goods to set up a conclusion to the round by the end of the year.

The letter called on Lamy to stick to WTO rules guaranteeing that any decision is reached by consensus, saying the commerce body's secretariat had instigated a series of meetings during the late April gathering in Geneva which only include ministers from a select number of member states.