21.   Developing nations have protested moves by advanced countries, including EU members, to link trade to such issues as labour standards, human rights and the environment.

22.   Earlier, Ruggiero urged developed and developing nations to seek a consensus on the controversial issue of inclusion labour standards in the global trade regime.

23.   EU sources said that the meeting, which was expected to last for two days, would not cover human rights and labour standards.

24.   Earlier Thursday, Thai Deputy Prime Minister Amnuay Viravan reiterated Asian opposition to western efforts to link trade with human rights, labour standards and other sensitive issues.

25.   Exclusion of any reference to labour standards in the declaration would be interpreted as a defeat for the United States and its backers.

26.   Excluding labour standards from the final declaration would effectively defeat their effort to link labour standards to world trade.

27.   The official stressed all the other participants agreed in principle on the disputed issues, namely investment rules, competition policy, government procurement and labour standards.

28.   The United States and France unsuccesfully attempted to get a labour standards clause included in the Uruguay Round agreement in the final phase of negotiations earlier this year.

29.   The United States, whose delegation is headed by Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen, has also called for a study of links between trade and internationally agreed labour standards.

30.   The two sides may also consider US-led demands for the creation of global rules linking trade to the observance of core labour standards.