Qatar to Host WTO Ministerial Conference in Mid-NovemberThe General Council of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Thursday decided to hold the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference in the Qatari capital Doha on November 9-13.The Qatari government's offer to hold the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference was accepted by the General Council on January 30, when it also authorized its chairman, in cooperation with the director- general, to start consultations on both organizational and substantive matters related to the preparations of the event. The previous WTO ministerial meeting was held in the western U. S. city of Seattle from November 30 to December 3 in 1999. The Seattle conference failed to start the expected new round of global trade talks partly because of massive protests during the gathering. Seeking a solution to finally start the new round of trade talks remains one of the top priorities of the Doha conference for WTO's 140 members. |
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