Bangladesh also wants duty-free access of the products from the least developed countries to the developed and advanced developing countries, Commerce Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury told newsmen at Zia International Airport on return from Zambia yesterday.

"We succeeded in incorporating our demands on top of the Zambia Declaration," said Altaf, who led a three-member Bangladesh delegation to the 4th WTO mini-ministerial meeting held June 25-27 in Livingstone, Zambia.

Referring to the strong Bangladesh move for unfettered temporary movement of natural persons, he said the Bangladeshi workforce is more efficient and literate than that of many LDCs.

"The advanced developing countries have a huge demand for such semi-skilled manpower that we have," Altaf said adding: "We are successful (at the meeting) in bringing the issue to the forefront."

The Livingstone Declaration, he said, included a proposal for taking preferential measures for the LDCs to compensate them for the losses likely to be incurred from the planned withdrawal of subsidy on agricultural exports.

Altaf said the meeting recommended withdrawal of subsidy on agriculture and providing "handling charge" to help the marginal farmers. "Bangladesh, on principle, accepted the proposal," he said.

The WTO meeting, he said, also urged the developed countries to provide the LDCs with "enhanced financial and technical support" to help them diversify exports as well as demanded of them not to impose any safeguards and anti-dumping measures.

The meeting also agreed to support continuation of low-cost bank loans for farmers and reduced power tariff for irrigation, he said.

Trade ministers from 49 WTO member-states representing the LDCs, developing and developed countries attended the meeting.

Member-countries have decided to hold at least two more mini-ministerial meets in South Korea and China before going to the WTO ministerial meeting, slated for December 13-18 in Hong Kong.

DHAKA TO INCREASE TRADE WITH AFRICAN STATES
Bangladesh is also actively considering increasing trade with the African countries, said Altaf.

"I've talked with the various trade bodies and expatriate Bangladeshis in South Africa. We are thinking of expanding business with South Africa, the gateway to other African countries," he told reporters.

Bangladesh presently exports products, including jute goods, pharmaceutical products and spare parts, to South Africa.