Businessman comments on Russian-WTO negotiations

Positions of Russia and the World Trade Organization at negotiations on Russia's accession to this organization have been agreed to by about 90 percent, Igor Yurgens, vice president of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, declared at a briefing in Moscow today, after a meeting of the Commerce and Industry Chamber's committee for financial markets and credit organizations. He pointed out that among disputable issues there were the market of energy resources, some services, including banking and insurance, the aircraft and automobile manufacturing industries, as well as the agriculture and the medical sector.

Yurgens noted that in 2004 Russia could make some formal steps to become the WTO member in 2007. The vice president stressed that the accession to the WTO would speed up economic reforms in the country and enable Russia to participate in the process of forming rules of world trade.