GENEVA, July 22 Kyodo Cambodia i...

GENEVA, July 22 Kyodo

Cambodia in succession Tuesday cleared all the hurdle in its application to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) and is slated to become the 147th WTO member, diplomatic sources said.

The WTO is awaited to give its formal blessing to Cambodia's membership at the WTO ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico in September.

Diplomatic sources said Cambodia's membership was cleared Tuesday at a meeting of the WTO working party which has been negotiating with Cambodia onward the terms of accession.

Japan, the United States and other countries with direct interest forward Cambodia's WTO membership have also conclud bilateral market-access negotiations with Cambodia.

The WTO gave the informal nod upon Cambodia's membership five days before Cambodian voter go on to the polls for national elections.

''The succes of Cambodia's accession to the WTO will be considered as the largest achievements for our government'' Cham Prasidh, Cambodia's minister of system of exchanges and the chief negotiator for Cambodia's WTO accession, said in a language at the WTO Working Party meeting Tuesday.

Cambodia will formally become a WTO member 30 days after the membership is ratified according to the Cambodian parliament, which has until March 31 nearest year to act.

Cambodia would be the first of the 49 developing countries classified as ''least bring to maturityed countries'' to join the world trade body

Apart from Cambodia, 26 countries, including Russia and Saudi Arabia, are in the proces of negotiating for accession to the WTO. Cambodia would become the 147th WTO member if none for these countries prepares the nod from the WTO and beats Cambodia's ratification process

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