THE BYELORUSSIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORTS THE IDEA OF BYELORUSSIA'S ENTRY INTO THE WTO








GENEVA, March 7, 2001 /from RIA Novosti correspondent Alexei Lipovetsky/ -- The Byelorussian government supports the idea of Byelorussia's entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO), said Byelorussian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Mikhnevich, a member of the Byelorussian delegation at the negotiations in Geneva concerning Byelorussia's entry into the World Trade Organisation. 


	At the sane time, remarked Alexander Mikhnevich, in  Byelorussia itself the attitude to country's participation in the WTO is equivocal: "Many people do not know what is the WTO and what advantages Byelorussia will receive on entering this  organisation." According to the deputy minister, on its way  towards joining the WTO Byelorussia will have to resolve most complicated problems in agriculture, the textile and chemical  industries and in machine-building where it is necessary to  protect the interests of the domestic producers. 


	Alexander Mikhnevich said that Byelorussia might make  concessions but will demand the acceptance of its position on the most vulnerable sectors of its economy: for instance, agriculture in which about a third of the Byelorussian population is  engaged.  


	The Byelorussian spokesman also pointed out a regular and open character of the Byelorussian's delegation's consultations and exchanges with the Russian delegation which is in a similar process of negotiations with the WTO but has a greater experience and has advanced further than Byelorussia. Alexander Mikhnevich believes that cooperation with Russia in this sphere has  considerably improved of late. -O- (kos/var) 


	07/03/01    11:13