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Reuters. 9 January 2002. WTO: Russia Could Join in a Year. OSLO, Norway -- World Trade Organization chief Mike Moore said Tuesday that Russia could be ready to join the global trade club within a year, following China's entry last month. In a speech to a business conference in Oslo, WTO Director General Moore said: "Russia is within our reach as a new member within a year. We have a core group of ministers who have the willpower, the horsepower and the firepower to make this happen." Russia, the largest economy that is not yet a member of the 144-nation world trade body, has said it is preparing for the next stage of talks and draft laws to bring its trade practices into line with WTO rules go before parliament early this year. Tough WTO negotiations are expected over high Russian agricultural subsidies in particular, officials have said. Moore nevertheless has said Russia, which says WTO membership is a high priority, would be able to sit at the table as a full member by the next ministerial conference, due in the middle of 2003. Protesters denounced globalization in the snow outside the hotel where Moore was speaking, saying it "killed democracy." Moscow once denounced the WTO's predecessor as an "instrument of imperialist exploitation." . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: [email protected] EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9WB2D Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
