G15 hears plea for unity

G15 hears plea for unity

BANGALORE, India (AFP): Ministers of the G15 group of
developing nations began a two-day meeting here Tuesday, amid
impassioned pleas for unity before a new round of global trade
talks in November.

"Coordinating our positions is of utmost importance at the
various stages of negotiations, from setting the negotiation
agenda until its final conclusion," said Egyptian Minister for
Trade and Supply and G15 chairman Ahmed Goweily.

Goweily said G15 members must ensure that the World Trade
Organization (WTO) meeting in Seattle in November took the needs
of developing countries "on board."

In his inaugural address to the meeting, Indian Commerce
Minister Ramakrishna Hegde spelled out the G15's opposition to
the inclusion of such issues as social clauses and the
environment in the agenda of the Seattle summit.

The G15, founded in 1989, actually groups 17 nations --
Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Egypt, India, Indonesia,
Kenya, Jamaica, Malaysia, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Senegal, Sri
Lanka, Venezuela and Zimbabwe.