Brussels, 01/10/2013 (Agence Europe) - Algeria wants to resume its WTO membership negotiations in November. Algeria's Minister for Trade Mustapha Benbada stated on Sunday that his country wants this meeting in order to convince the member countries of the need to support Algeria's file for becoming a member of the WTO's multilateral system of trade.
“Our desire is to hold this meeting [in Geneva] in November - in other words, before the organisation's ninth ministerial conference” in Bali (Indonesia) on 3-6 December, said Benbada, quoted by Algerian media. “I am in permanent contact with the president of the working group who has promised to programme the 12th round before the end of 2013”.
The EU is at the forefront - with Algiers having solicited Europe's support at every opportunity to make Algeria's WTO membership agreement concrete, and this question is taken into account in the talks that are under way to establish economic and trade cooperation as part of the European neighbourhood policy. A European working group will visit Algiers in mid-October for a second round of negotiations on the action plan. (FB/transl.fl)