U.S. supports Yemen’s WTO membership

U.S. supports YemenÆs WTO membership    The United States and Yemen on Monday concluded bilateral market access negotiations as part of Yemen's efforts to accede to the World Trade Organization.
   The bilateral agreement provides new market access opportunities for U.S. providers of agriculture, goods and services, and sets the platform for Yemen to complete accession negotiations with WTO members.

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   The U.S. and Yemeni governments have worked to finalize the tariff and services schedules after reaching an agreement in principal in April 2010. Officials from the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative and Yemen's Ministry of Industry and Trade have signed the final schedules reflecting the results of the negotiations and deposited them with the WTO secretariat. The two governments will continue to work with other WTO members to conclude the multilateral Working Party negotiations in the coming weeks so that Yemen may become a member of the WTO as early as possible in 2011.
   'The United States is committed to implementing a government wide strategy with Yemen that seeks to support key economic reforms,' said U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in a statement. Yemen's progress toward adopting international standards is an important step toward integration with global markets.'
   Yemen has been negotiating its terms of accession to the WTO since 2002. This bilateral market access agreement and those concluded with other WTO members in the course of the negotiation will be consolidated. This package must be formally approved by WTO members and then accepted by the Yemeni government. Thirty days after the WTO receives its notice of acceptance, Yemen will become a WTO member. No congressional action is required on the accession since Yemen already receives Permanent Normal Trade Relations from the United States. ' Chris Gillis