Geneva, Aug 25: After working through the weekend, the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) top official late yesterday circulated the draft of a declaration to be issued at a crucial ministerial trade summit in Mexico in two weeks. The highly-anticipated, 21-page revised outline text covers key areas in the current Doha round of free trade negotiations, including agricultural subsidies and market access for industrial products.

Although its contents are not yet agreed, it suggests frameworks, mostly without figures, for ministers of the 146-strong WTO to agree at the September 10-14 meeting in the Mexican Resort of Cancun. Entrenched positions among countries as well as a flurry of new proposals last week held up the release of the draft declaration, originally due to be published on Friday.

Diplomats waited patiently late into the evening at WTO headquarters for the document's release, which negotiators will mull over before meeting tomorrow to give their initial reactions. On agriculture, the draft text reflects some elements of a joint EU and US plan, released on August 13, but gives more detail on special provisions for developing countries.

It calls for an elimination of export subsidies for products "of particular interest to developing countries".

For remaining products, it proposes reductions "with a view to phasing out, budgetary and quantity allowances for export subsidies", although it adds that the target phasing-out date is still open for negotiation. Bureau Report