MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Pope calls rich nations to overcome “narrow self interest”

Pope Benedict XVI called Thursday for a sense of responsibility and solidarity with the world's poor to prevail at world trade talks in Hong Kong next month, saying the interests of the wealthy should be put aside.

Benedict made the comments in a speech to delegates attending the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization's conference of member states in Rome. "The Holy See is confident that a sense of responsibility and solidarity with the most disadvantaged will prevail, so that narrow interests and the logic of power will be set aside," the Pope told a delegation from FAO.

The Pope decried that even as the world registers "positive advances" in science, the economy and technology, poverty was increasing.

Small rural farmers and native communities have been particularly hard hit, he said, and he urged the upcoming World Trade Organization talks to keep their interests in mind.

"It must not be forgotten that the vulnerability of rural areas has significant repercussions on the subsistence of small farmers and their families if they are denied access to the market". "A consistent course of action would call for recognizing the essential role of the rural family as the guardian of values and a natural agent of solidarity in relationships between generations".

Benedict XVI said the Vatican was hopeful that during the Dec. 13-18 trade talks in Hong Kong wealthy nations would strike a deal, overcoming their own "narrow" self interest to help poorer countries.

Negotiations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) aim to lift millions out of poverty but have reached an impasse, largely because of disputes over how much rich nations are prepared to cut agricultural trade barriers.

The United States, Brazil and Australia have blamed reluctance by the 25-nation European Union to go further on agriculture for the stalled WTO talks on a global free trade deal.

However European Union Trade Commissar Peter Mandelson speaking in Geneva Thursday described the drafts for the coming WTO Hong Kong meeting as "unsatisfactory" and those referred to services is "particularly disappointing". "We need objectives for the services sector, as we have in the agriculture and non agriculture markets access, or we're going no where", warned Mr. Mandelson.

Brussels insists that in agriculture it has gone as far as possible and now concessions must be forthcoming in the non agriculture and services sectors.