JOHANNESBURG, May 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Trade Organization (WTO) should reform and be inclusive to serve the interest of all nations, said the South African Minister of Trade and Industry Rob Davies.
Davies said this after landing in the country from attending the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Ministerial Council meeting in France.
"Our view is that the reform of the WTO should fundamentally be about reform for development and inclusivity," said Davies.
South Africa continues to seek meaningful outcomes in agriculture, especially on domestic support, cotton, public stockholding, Special Safeguard Mechanism, as well as on fishery subsidies, he said.
He pointed out that South Africa wanted to see the resolution of long outstanding issues addressed.
Davies also attended the informal gathering of WTO Trade Ministers meeting which was attended by 33 countries, including developed and developing countries. He said the meeting offered the countries an opportunity to exchange views on possible outcomes for WTO Ministerial Conference.
"Members underlined the importance of a functional dispute resolution mechanism to ensure the predictability of the multilateral trading system and the enforcement of commitments."
He said the ministers also discussed challenges facing the multilateral trading system, mechanisms to be put in place to generate consensus in view of the agreed deadline for the fisheries subsidies negotiations.
