November 13, 2001	Tuesday	Shaba’an 26, 1422

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DOHA, Nov 12: The developing nations including Pakistan were fighting hard to secure key concessions on textiles, anti-dumping rules and agriculture as a World Trade Organization meeting in Doha entered a crucial last stretch on Monday night.

As delegates reported a near-deal on developing countries’ access to medicines, WTO director general Mike Moore urged participants to start preparing to “give and take” on plans to launch a new global trade round.

“We are close but there are still areas of substantial differences,” Moore told reporters.

WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell said ministers and their aides were rolling up their sleeves to thrash out an accord before midnight on Nov 13, the deadline for ending the meeting.

But he said apart from the drugs patent issue, little progress had been made on questions covering speedier liberalization of textile quotas, phasing out of European farm subsidies and demands from developing countries, Japan and Korea for changes in WTO rules on punishing the dumping of goods.

The problem was that countries were linking concessions made in one area to those in other unrelated sectors, Rockwell said.

The deal on drugs was still being opposed by India.