MARRAKECH : Gala GATT Signing
More than seven years and countless diplomatic rows after they began, global negotiations to reduce or eliminate a vast array of barriers to world trade will formally end amid a flurry of celebration Friday.
Trade ministers from 116 nations that took part in the talks, known as the Uruguay Round, are expected to sign the final agreement in the Moroccan city.
But before they do, they must sit through one final rhetorical marathon: representatives from more than 90 countries have declared their intention to speak to the gathering of trade experts, meeting under the auspices of GATT--the Geneva-based General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.
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