Annan pleads for global trade treaty

United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan urged world leaders to adopt a treaty to liberalise global trade next year which, as a crucial first step, will give exports from the world’s poorest countries duty-free and quota-free access to all markets.

Annan told international finance and trade officials meeting at the United Nations following weekend talks in Washington that completing the so-called Doha Round of trade talks was essential to helping meet UN goals to halve the number of people living in dire poverty by 2015.