ISLAMABAD, Dec 22: A high-level delegation led by Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan is scheduled to leave for Washington on Dec 26, to seek US support for protecting over 100 items from trade liberalisation under the WTO regime, and for a greater access of Pakistani products to the US market.

This will be the first meeting of the Pakistan-US joint working group on trade and investment, which was established last year as part of a deal the two sides made to cooperate after the Sept 11 attacks.

Official sources said the meeting would start on Dec 27, and last for a week, and the event would be followed by the visit of a trade delegation, comprising businessmen and exporters, to the US early next year.

Pakistan is seeking expansion in trade ties and enhancement of textile quota from the US for its products, besides bilateral trade in the post-2002 scenario when quotas would be removed under the WTO regime, including discussions on the free trade agreement (FTA) with the US.

The FTA is currently at a pre-negotiation stage in the US, and the meeting is expected to firm up issues before formal talks between the two states on the subject.

Pakistan is also seeking tariff reduction on some items to enhance its exports and inclusion of some new and value-added items in the textile quota.

The US authorities, said the sources, had assured Islamabad of the Washington support to help protect its intellectual property rights and around 100 items that it wanted to protect from trade liberalization on the pretext of national and geographical identification.

Initial talks on the intellectual property rights and geographical indicators would help Pakistan compile a list of items and prepare a “geographical indicators ordinance” to meet the WTO requirement to claim rights over certain national and regional products. Under the WTO rules, a country can claim exclusive rights over certain brand names and products.

The sources said that many countries were protecting such unique things under the copyright and patent laws of the trade related intellectual property rights (TRIPs), like France had protected Champagne and Scotch whisky.

India and Pakistan jointly share the identification of Basmati rice and Alphanso mango. Pakistan could claim its rights over some of the farm items, including Kinoo, mango, Sindhi ajrak, rali, Kashmiri chappal etc.

Pakistani exports to the US have increased from $2.246 billion in 2000-01, to $2.257 billion in 2001-02, up by 0.53 per cent.

Similarly, the US exports to Pakistan have also increased to $688 million during 2001-02, against $565 million over the corresponding year, up by 21.64 per cent.