February 12, 2003 No. 13

Media representatives are advised that International Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew will attend an informal meeting of WTO Trade Ministers in Tokyo, Japan, from February 14 to 16, to discuss the Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations. The last informal meeting was held in Sydney, Australia, in November 2002.

This meeting will be hosted by the Japanese Minister for Foreign Affairs, Yoriko Kawaguchi, and the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Takeo Hiranuma. Twenty-three countries have been invited, including India, China, Mexico, the United States, Japan, Canada, the Commission of the European Union, and members representing various regions (Southeast Asia, South America, Africa and the Caribbean). They will discuss progress since the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference held in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001. Agriculture will feature prominently in the discussions, which will also focus on how to build momentum to ensure the success of the Fifth WTO Ministerial Conference, scheduled to take place in Mexico, in September 2003.

For more information, please contact:

Sébastien Théberge

Director of Communications

Office of the Minister for International Trade

(613) 992-7332

Media Relations Office

Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

(613) 995-1874

http://www.dfait-maeci.gc.ca