Monday, July 11 2005 12:25 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: Union Commerce and Industry Minister, Kamal Nath will attend a two-day informal meeting of the trade ministers of 30 World Trade Organization (WTO) member countries in Beijing next week.

The meeting, beginning on Tuesday (July 19, 2005), would be attended by Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Kenya, South Africa, U S and some European nations, an official release said here, yesterday (July 10,2005).

It assumes significance in the wake of the meeting of trade ministers of WTO member countries in Hong Kong in December this year and the ongoing negotiations of the current Doha Round, the release said.

Already three mini-ministerial talks have been held this year to move WTO negotiations forward, it said adding Nath would also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from other countries on the sidelines of the meeting.