Developed countries should promote fair trade with developing nations: Ethiopian PM

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Tuesday, February 17, 2004

Developed countries should promote fair trade with developing nations: Ethiopian PM

Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Monday called on developed countries particularly the European Union to promote fair trade with developing nations.

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Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi Monday called on developed countries particularly the European Union to promote fair trade with developing nations.

"Our partnership must evolve in the direction of promoting a fairer global trading regime. Without fair trade, nothing we do will create sustained development," said Meles here at the opening of the 7th session of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and the European Union (EU) Jointly Parliamentary Assembly.

He said the EU-ACP partnership must evolve in the direction of increasing the amount and improving the quality of development assistance.

In his speech, Meles also expressed his dissatisfaction on the EU position in the latest round of World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations.

"While the EU has traditional provided preferential access to its markets to ACP countries, and while everything but arms is a most welcome development, the position it took in the latest round of WTO negotiations has been a source of disappointment to all of us," Meles said.

Also at the opening session, Ramdien Sardjoe, ACP co-president, said trade can be a major engine of growth in ACP countries, however trade liberalization alone will suffice in achieving that goal.

"It must be accompanied by substantial improvement in production and supply capacities", Sardjoe said.

The four-day assembly is being held with the presence of more than 500 parliamentarians and invited guests from the 77 ACP and 15 EU member countries.

They would discuss ACP-EU cooperation in the framework of the Cotonou agreement signed in 2000.

The agreement is a trade accord between the members of the ACP group of states and the EU and its member states.

The agreement was concluded to promote and expedite the economic, cultural and social development of the ACP states, with a view to contributing to peace and security and to promoting a stable and democratic political environment.

The agreement replaces the Lome Convention, which has provided the structure for trade and cooperation between the EU and the ACP since 1975.

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