Dhaka, June 01: Officials of 38 of the world's least-developed countries held a second day of talks here today to overcome differences and thrash out a common agenda ahead of a WTO meeting. Sources at the meeting said "minor" differences had emerged but not on major issues such as giving more market access to poorer countries, on which there was unanimity.
Asked about the three-day meeting, Bangladeshi commerce minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said it was "good, and I don't want this to be a talk show."
"But you cannot have 100 per cent agreement and we hope to come out with the best results," he told on the sidelines of the meeting.
A senior Bangladeshi commerce ministry official, however, indicated that a press conference expected tonight might be delayed.
"It all depends and in these kinds of meetings last-minute delays are not unusual," he said.
The three-day meeting, in which 23 countries are represented at the ministerial level, will end tomorrow with a "Dhaka Declaration" in the presence of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.
According to meeting sources, the declaration was likely to call for a "binding commitment" by developed countries to grant access free of duty and restrictions to certain products from least-developed countries on a secure and long-term basis. Bureau Report