41.   Labour standards should be discussed in other forums like the International Labour Organization, he said.

42.   Language which says that labour and labour standards are within the parameter of the ILO and rejects any trade measures to enforce labour standards.

43.   Ministers meanwhile clashed over one of the thorniest issues facing the trade body -- global labour standards.

44.   Ministers from the core group met late Thursday with Ruggiero to finalise acceptable language for a reference to labour standards.

45.   NAFTA -- a trade pact between Canada, Mexico and the United States -- also has parallel agreements between those three countries on environmental protection and labour standards.

46.   On labour standards, Seade said members might reach agreement on certain points if the issue was raised.

47.   Other issues proposed by Washington for the agenda are labour standards, protection of foreign direct investment and competition policy.

48.   Rockwell said the United States and France were most insistent on including labour standards in the WTO meeting, backed by other European nations.

49.   Rafidah said Malaysia, henceforth, would not agree to any efforts by the WTO to discuss labour standards at its meetings.

50.   She also said the WTO was not expected to force any labour standards on the ILO in their collaborations.