April 17, 2007	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 28, 1428

LAHORE, April 16: The three-day inter-ministerial meeting of The Cairns Group, which began here on Monday, will finalise a joint communiqué on Tuesday morning as some difference of opinion on it prevented its finalisation on the inaugural day of the meeting.

The Cairns Group, comprises 19 agriculture exporting countries, and the meeting is being attended by some 130 delegates from 25 countries, including special invitees from the US, the EU, China, Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, WTO Secretariat and Vietnam.Giving a briefing on the first day’s proceedings of the meeting on Monday, Pakistan’s ambassador to WTO in Geneva Dr Manzoor Ahmad said the purpose of the meeting was to urge the developed countries to reduce farm subsidies on agriculture products and allow greater market access to the developing economies.

Referring to an Asian Development Bank study, he said some two million Pakistanis could come out of poverty if the US withdraws $3 billion subsidy given to its farmers on cotton. Another study, he said, had concluded that some 10 million people would come out of poverty if the EU, the US and Japan withdraw $15-16 billion subsidy on rice.

On Monday, he said, farmers from The Cairns Group countries had met, besides bilateral meetings between trade and agriculture ministers.

“This meeting is very important as we are expecting a headway in the Doha Development Agenda talks in next couple of months,” said commerce minister Humayun Akhtar Khan while talking to reporters after his meeting with Japanese minister for agriculture Toshikatsu Matsuka on the margins of the ministerial meeting.

He said The Cairns Group and G-20 are working to settle the issue of domestic subsidies given to the farm sector by the developed economies.

He said Japan was not a member of The Cairns Group. However, it could play an important role in bringing an end to agriculture-related issues between the developed and the developing countries.

On his talks with US trade representative Susan Schwab on Sunday, he said both the sides discussed matters related to the Pak-US trade.