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.