The African Group announced Wednesday its intention to maintain a constructive attitude in the Multilateral Trade Negotiations.

A press release issued by the African Group said the group stressed the high priority that it attaches to the current round of multilateral trade negotiations during its meetings with other groups on the first day of the Sixth WTO Ministerial Conference which opened in Hong Kong Tuesday.

"The overwhelming sentiment expressed by the African Group was that members came to Hong Kong with the hope to be able to conclude the round by 2006," said the press release.

However, it added, this optimism is mixed with both realism and caution, and the willingness to work constructively with developed and the developing world to ensure that this round brings the desired developmental outcomes promised in Doha.

The group expressed the hope that the task today "is to agree on concrete steps to redirect the development round towards achieving its objective."

According to the press release, the African Group held a meeting Wednesday with US Trade Representative Ambassador Rob Portman and US secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns. The group also participated in a joint meeting convened between the countries of the developing world, namely the G90, ACP (African, Caribbean and Pacific Group) and G20.

This is part of the Group's outreach that aims to expand its negotiations with the entire membership in the WTO, with the objective of securing the developmental outcome that will enable the group to reap the benefits of the multilateral trading system which has regulated the global trade for nearly 50 years, the press release said.

The Group believed that the WTO Hong Kong meeting provides a privileged opportunity to move from words to deeds to live up to this challenge.

According to the press release, the African Group positions are based on the two ministerial declarations of Cairo and Arusha.

The basic tenants of these declarations revolve around the importance of the Hong Kong meeting to advance the negotiations, while at the same time maintaining the same level of ambition embodied in the Doha declaration.

The Group believed that agriculture is certainly an important negotiating track for African countries, especially the cotton issue.

On non-agricultural market access, the Group's view is that the final outcome should ensure a balance between liberalization and flexibility.

Source: Xinhua