Palestine prepares to join WTO: official

The Palestinian government said Thursday that it has started preparations to join the World Trade Organization (WTO) with the support of the EU.

"Joining the WTO has been a national demand... this enables Palestine to join the international trade process in order to open new markets for our local products," Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa said in a press statement after meeting with John Gatt-Rutter, head of EU mission in Palestine.

He added that the membership of the WTO will boost the Palestinian endeavors to re-examine its economic ties with Israel "which did not abide by the peace accord and Paris Economic Protocol."

Meanwhile, the deputy minister of economy told Xinhua that the Palestinians' efforts on WTO membership mainly aim to boost Palestinian economy in light of its current dependency on the Israeli economy.

"We should take steps forward for an independent economy," he said.

"We have accelerated our efforts and contacts with international parties to get consensus in our approach to join the WTO," he said.

As typical WTO procedures, accession is offered only when consensus has been reached among interested parties.

The Palestinian Authority has submitted a request in October 2009 and again in April 2010 to obtain a WTO observer status, trying to help its weak economy, which was badly affected by the restrictions imposed by Israel after it occupied the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem in 1967.

However, observers say membership of the WTO would be useless since most of the commercial crossings of Palestine are under full Israeli control. Endit