Russia`s WTO accession workgroup to have consultations in Geneva.

GENEBA, September 21 (Itar-Tass) - Multilateral consultations of the
working group on Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization will
be held in Geneva later Tuesday, the head of the Russian delegation at the
talks on accession, Maxim Medvedkov, who is a senior official at the
Ministry of Economic Development, told Itar-Tass.
The main objective of these informal consultations is to discuss the
first corrections to certain sections of the previously coordinated
reports of the working group, Medvedkov said adding that such corrections
are necessary in connection with the setting up of a Customs Union /by
Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan/.
He indicated that "five sections in the new edition" of the report out
of the thirty sections, which require clarification, will be considered.
In addition, work will be done to consolidate the results of
negotiations on access of goods and services to the markets of the
countries that joined the WTO from 1998 through to 2007.
The delegation's work will not round up at that point, though,
Medvedkov said.
Plans indicate that Russian Agriculture Minister Yelena Skrynnik is
due to come to Geneva September 27.
"She will have discussions with a number of WTO members on the Russian
government's obligations as regards support to the national farming sector
after accession to the WTO, and a series of bilateral negotiations has
been scheduled for this", Medvedkov said.
The first meeting of the working group on Russia's accession to the
organization, which at present brings together 153 states accounting for
95% of world trade, took place in 1995.
A decision was taken last year to suspend the process of negotiations
in the light of the setting up of the trilateral Customs Union with
Belarus.
Later on, however, the decision was revised and the three countries
made announcements on the individual accessions with due observance of the
coordinated terms.
Russia resumed negotiations on the accession in May.
-0-kle