EU's Mandelson says backs new Russia WTO bid push

By Conor Sweeney

MOSCOW, Feb 13 (Reuters) - European trade chief Peter Mandelson will tell Russian leaders this week Brussels will do all it can to finalise the country's accession to the World Trade Organisation (WTO), his spokesman said on Wednesday.

Speaking just before Mandelson travels to Moscow for talks with Russian Finance Minister Alexei Kudrin and top trade officials on Feb. 14-15, the spokesman said Moscow seemed keen to wrap up the talks quickly.

Russia is the last major world economy outside the World Trade Organisation, although it started talks in 1993.

Although the spokesman sought to play down any expectations of a breakthrough this week, he said there was an upbeat discussion between Mandelson and Kudrin at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, last month.

"We had a meeting with Minister Kudrin in Davos, there was a clear political will on the Russian side to advance these negotiations and we want to build on that," the spokesman said.

"We want to welcome the signal from Moscow that WTO membership in 2008 is a priority. The EU will do all it can to see this achieved," he said. Mandelson is the European Union's Trade Commissioner.

A number of issues remain on the table before the EU signs off on Russia's accession to the WTO, including duties on wood exports and rail cargo transit tariffs. Moscow has also not signed off a deal on Siberian overflights by EU carriers.

Once Russia finalises its WTO negotiations, the EU will move quickly towards starting talks on a free trade deal, as it has just done with Ukraine, said one EU diplomat. The trade body has given its approval for Ukraine to become a member.