WTO issues services text

GENEVA (Reuters) - A World Trade Organisation (WTO) mediator issued a negotiating text on Tuesday showing how the services sector could be included in talks to open up world trade.

The text by the chairman of services negotiations at the WTO, Mexican Ambassador Fernande de Mateo y Venturini, follows revised negotiating drafts issued last week for the core sectors of agriculture and industry.

But rich countries such as the United States and those in the European Union, and certain developing nations like India, have said the talks must include the services sector, which covers areas like banking, aviation and telecoms.

De Mateo said in his report that there were still many areas of disagreement, but he listed them to help further discussions.

The texts are intended to pave the way for a meeting of trade ministers in March or April to reach an outline deal in the long-running Doha round trade talks.

At that meeting, ministers would make trade-offs across the different sectors and countries interested in liberalising services want to make sure they can use any concessions they make in farming or manufactured goods to get gains in services.

Services account for less than 20 percent of world trade but for some 80 percent of economic output in rich states. They are also taking a growing share of GDP in developing nations.