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on Nepal
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Nepal started its accession negotiations in 1989. The 5th WTO’s
Ministerial Conference, at Cancún (Mexico), approved the accession package
on 11 September 2003. On 24 March 2004 the Government of the Kingdom of
Nepal notified the WTO that the process of ratification and acceptance of
the Protocol of Accession had been completed. According to established
practice, the entry into force of the Protocol occurred 30 days later — on
23 April 2004.
Another 24 countries
are in the process of negotiation to become members of the WTO.
These are (arranged by the date of their application): Algeria, Russian
Federation, Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Ukraine, Sudan, Uzbekistan, Viet Nam,
Seychelles, Tonga, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Andorra, Lao People’s Democratic
Republic, Samoa, Lebanese Republic, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bhutan, Cape Verde,
Yemen, Serbia and Montenegro, Bahamas, Tajikistan and Ethiopia.
Vanuatu has completed the negotiations but no further action has been taken
since the last meeting of the Working Party on 29 October 2001.
The Kingdom of Cambodia completed negotiations in 2003 but the process of
ratification in Parliament is still pending. |
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WTO membership rises to 147