World Trade Organisation's 8th Ministerial Conference from tomorrow

GENEVA: WTO members are expected to discuss ways to bridge differences to liberalise global trade through the Doha pact during the Ministerial Conference starting here tomorrow, an official said.

India's Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who arrived for the meet, today met trade ministers of Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa. He said that international trade would play a critical role in stimulating economic growth.

During the Eighth Ministerial Conference of World Trade Organisation (WTO) three Working Sessions would be held.

The theme of the sessions are - Importance of the Multilateral Trading System and the WTO; Trade and Development and Doha Development Agenda, the official said.

On the last day, ministers will also adopt a number of decisions on intellectual property, electronic commerce, small economies, least developed countries' accession, a services waiver for least developed countries, and trade policy reviews.

The Doha Round of talks, which began in 2001, have missed several deadlines due to differences on the demand by the developed countries on the level of market opening in the developing nations. There are also discords on protection for farmers in the rich world.

Ministerial Conference is the highest decision-making body of the 153-member multi-lateral Organisation, which meets at least every two years.