Moscow And Washington Plan To Draft A Protocol On Russia's Entry Into The WTO By The Next Spring

The USA confirms its readiness to render assistance to Russia in the process of entering the WTO, said US Ambassador in Moscow Alexander Vershbow. Both Washington and Moscow have set themselves the task of finishing the draft protocol about Russia's membership in this organisation by the next spring, said he in the analytical article which was issued in Washington by the information service of the US State Department. In order to enter the WTO Russia has to recognise the system of the rules which are followed by international trade and to ensure better access to its market for the goods and companies of other countries. This will create equal possibilities for all firms, Russian and not Russian, and will strengthen the Russian economy, writes the American diplomat. The discussion of an economic dimension in Russian-American relations was one of the most important topics on the agenda of the recent George Bush- Vladimir Putin summit at which they underscored the necessity of expanding cooperation between the two states.