South Sudan lauds WTO move to speed up its accession

NAIROBI, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan on Thursday lauded the decision by World Trade Organization (WTO) to form a working party committee that will pave way for the country's final accession to the global trade body.

Mawien Makol, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman, said the development was a major achievement that will help boost trade through easing of tariffs on imports to the war-torn country.

"It is a major achievement and very significant for South Sudan to be part of WTO. We will be engaged in trade, it will also help ease tariffs on our imports," he told Xinhua in Juba of the decision at the just concluded 11th Ministerial Conference of WTO in Argentina.

Oil-rich South Sudan imports 98 percent of its goods and services through the East African neighboring countries of Uganda, Sudan and Kenya.

Makol also hailed Kenya's support at the Dec. 10-13 WTO conference in Buenos Aires as it proved crucial in speeding up the accession process of South Sudan which still enjoys observer status.

"We have good relations with Kenya and their support is crucial to us being part of WTO," Makol revealed.

The war-torn country applied to join the WTO in 2015, and was recipient of 6 million U.S. dollar support from WTO under the Enhance Integrated Framework, a multi-donor program which helps least-developed countries in the global trading system.

Akech Chol Ayok, the Deputy Permanent Representative of South Sudan in Geneva, said they want to attract foreign direct investment and have access to international markets as other countries have a desire to trade with South Sudan which cannot be achieved without acceding to the WTO.

"By establishing the Working Party on the Accession of South Sudan, the Ministerial Conference has encouraged us to keep up the nation-building efforts. My government stands committed to undertake the required reforms for WTO accession in accordance with the principles of the rule of law, transparency, good governance and respect for human rights," Ayok said at the WTO conference.

There are 164 members of the WTO representing 84 percent of the 196 countries in the world that enjoy the benefits of greater international trade conferred by the WTO and also solving trade disputes.