October 19, 2001	Friday	Shaba'an 1, 1422

PARIS, Oct 18: European Union Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy admitted on Thursday that the anti-globalisation movement presented some arguments which were not far removed from the EU’s own position.

Lamy told a press conference in Paris: “I have no problem talking with (them) about the flaws of globalisation. Where we have a few problems sometimes is on the solutions, but even there our views don’t diverge too much.”

Anti-globalisation activists have staged high-profile protests, some of which turned violent, during meetings between governments and international organisations.

Lamy said the idea that one solution to globalisation is international governance rather than “throwing everything in the rubbish” was gaining ground.

“Time spent in discussions has not been wasted,” Lamy noted.

He also said that member states of the World Trade Organization are mulling a possible transfer of next month’s WTO ministerial meeting planned for Qatar.—AFP