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49 Least Developed Nations to Attend Trade Ministers Meeting in Zanzibar
All the 49 least developed countries (LDCs) have confirmed their participation in the trade ministers meeting to be held in Tanzania's semiautonomous region of Zanzibar next Tuesday, officials said on Saturday.
Hassan Mitawi, a press officer with the preparatory committee for the meeting, told reporters in Zanzibar that none among the invited countries had indicated anything to the contrary by Saturday afternoon, saying delegates have begun arriving in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
The ministerial meeting, which will be officially opened by Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa Tuesday and closed by Zanzibari President Amani Karume on the same day, will exclusively deal with issues pertaining to the economic well-being of the LDCs, Mitawi said.
Politics will not feature the meeting, he added.
Earlier, Tanzanian officials said the objective of the meeting is to take stock of the progress achieved by LDCs since the third WTO ministerial meeting was held in Seattle, U.S., over two years ago.
formulating LDCs' perspective on the agenda for the fourth WTO ministerial meeting will be another objective. The meeting is scheduled to take place in Doha, Qatar, in November this year.
Security has been enhanced in Zanzibar with increased police patrols and tight surveillance at the conference venue, which has been extensively rehabilitated.
Before the ministerial meeting, a meeting of senior officials will be held on Sunday and Monday.
A total of 49 countries including Tanzania are currently designated by the United Nations as least developed countries.
The list is reviewed every three years by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
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