Russia to consider again expediency of joining WTO--Medvedev.

SINGAPORE, November 14 (Itar-Tass) -- The main problems discussed at
the first session of the APEC summit in Singapore, which lasted for an
hour and a half, were "the overcoming of consequences of the global
financial and economic crisis, regional economic integration, the
completion of the Doha round of the multilateral trade talks, the
liberalization of trade and the struggle against protectionism," a source
in the APEC secretariat told Itar-Tass.

He said that all the participants in the summit took part in the
discussion on the problem of protectionism. They reiterated their
commitments in that sphere, assumed at the previous APEC summit held in
Lima last year, and pointed to the need for putting them into effect more
actively. About all the leaders agreed that protectionism was not
effective and that it eventually hampered normal development of trade
partners. Considering the activity of the APEC leaders during the
discussion of the problem, the source believes it is quite probable that
it will be mentioned in the final declaration of the Singapore summit.
During the discussion of the problem, President Dmitry Medvedev said
protectionist measures did not work in Russia either.
According to the source, the so-called Bogor objectives for the
creation of a free trade zone within the APEC framework was another
important problem discussed at the session. Japan suggested the
introduction in APEC of its own (not digital) system of the evaluation of
progress in the reaching of the Bogor objectives. Consensus was reached at
the session on supporting the proposal, with the reservation that on the
current stage such criteria could be applied to the best developed
economies of the region, so that in the future the system could be spread
to other APEC members, after they reach the targets set before them.
The problem of the completion of the Doha round of the talks of the
World Trade Organization (WTO) was also mentioned in the Istana Palace of
Singapore. Some participants in the summit urged in a rather tough manner
that a more concrete deadline for the end of the round should be put
before the negotiators, the source continued. Medvedev said during the
discussion on the problem that it was not difficult for Russia to pursue a
liberalization policy in trade. At the same time, against the background
of the skidding of the Doha round, Moscow will consider again the
expediency of its joining WTO.
Participants in the summit repeatedly pointed to the fact that the
liberalization of trade was not the root cause of the current crisis,
although many of them admitted that it is the crisis that forced them to
take protectionist measures. The leaders agreed, however, that the crisis
was being overcome and that the situation was gradually getting back to
normal, although numerous problems and dangers remain in the trade and
economic sphere.
Some leaders suggested the creation of conditions not only for the
mobility of business within the APEC framework, but also for the creation
of a free market of manpower. The suggestion did not get unanimous
support, however, and was regarded as a political, rather than an economic
step.
Regional economic integration was also discussed actively at the
session as one of the most effective ways of fighting the crisis. At
present it is put into effect on the territory of APEC on the basis of
bilateral and multilateral agreements on free trade. On the current stage
the creation of the Asia-Pacific Free Trade Zone is supported mostly by
the best developed economies of the region, while most of the APEC
members, as Medvedev pointed out during the discussion, are inclined to
regard its creation as a long-term objective for APEC.
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