RI Hoping Bali Package Will Be Approved

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - Indonesia is hoping that the Bali Package will be discussed at the upcoming 9th World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting and will be agreed upon by all members.

"If the whole package is accepted, it will be a phenomenal success after 12 years," Indonesia's Deputy Trade Minister Bayu Krisnamurthi told newsmen on Friday.

He further said that the next WTO ministerial-level meeting would be deemed successful if the Bali Package covering trade facilitation, agriculture and least developed countries (LDCs) was agreed upon, if issues not yet agreed upon were discussed further and those already agreed upon were approved.

Earlier negotiations at the General Council in Geneva had produced agreements with regards to the issues of LDCs, which is also supported by advanced countries, including the United States, Japan and European countries.

With regards to trade facilitation and agriculture, tough negotiations were expected to continue, especially related to technical matters, such as tariff rate quotas, export competition and trade facilitation negotiations, Krisnamurthi pointed out.

"For the sake of our interests and those of less developed countries, advanced countries must take care of the interests of countries that are in a more difficult position than them," he said. (INE/M038)