Partners meet over Seychelles’ bid to join WTO - 17.01.2011
The assembly’s International Affairs Committee (IAC) had a meeting with officials from the Trade Division and the Liaison Unit for Non-governmental Organisations of Seychelles (Lungos) to discuss various aspects of the joining process.
The Trade Division was represented by the chief negotiator for WTO accession, Charles Morin, and its director Ziyaad Ebrahim.
From Lungos came chairman Bernard Elizabeth, Steven Lalande, Michel Pierre, Raymonde Course and Michel Jean-Louis, while on the IAC side were Waven William, Clifford Andre and Nicholas Prea.
Discussion centred on the achievements of the Trade Division in preparing Seychelles to join the WTO, including the goods and services offer that was presented to the organisation in Geneva late last year.
Both the IAC and Lungos had a chance to raise their concerns and offer opinions to the Trade Division on how accession to the WTO could affect the country.
This was the second round of meetings the assembly committee has held on Seychelles’ joining the WTO.
The first was held in the second half of 2010 with Lungos and the Seychelles Chamber of Commerce and Industry, during which issues were identified as being crucial to successfully joining the trade body.
Some of these were:
• The high cost of production in Seychelles;
• The special features of Small Island Developing States;
• The amendment of local law to make it on a par with global legislation;
• Most importantly, the involvement of civil society and the business community in programmes aimed at educating people on the reasons for joining the WTO, its benefits and other implications.
At the end of the meeting both the IAC and Lungos pledged their support to the Trade Division, especially in its education programme when it is expected to hold talks with the general public so they can learn all about the benefits and challenges of joining the WTO.
Forrás: http://www.nation.sc/