JAKARTA. Oct 9 A senior Indonesian official has warned that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) is in danger of being adulterated as certain countries have shown a tendency to resort to a new form of protec tionism. reports Xinhua

This form of protectionism is in the guise of linking labour and environmental concerns to issues of trade. Foreign Minis ter Ali Aiatas told a seminar on economic cooperation between Indonesia and Latin America here Tuesday

This we cannot accept for such a linkage would not only

threaten to negate the comparative advantage of developing countries but would also pose the risk of unraveling the hard-won balance of rights obliga Uons and interests of the parties to the Uruguay Round the WTO final act

Established two years ago as the embodiment of the commitments and obligations of parties to the Uruguay Round and as the legal and institutional foundation of the multilateral trading system the WTO Is to hold its first ministerial meeting in Singapore in the coming December

But up to this day that multilateral trading system is not a reality, Aiatas pointed out.

The agenda has become the subject of dispute between developed and developing nations, with the richer countries wanting social issues such as child labour and the environment to be considered when setting international trade policy.

Developing countries however fear that a new form of protectionism may emerge if they are forced to follow strict standards that would erase the comparative advantage they now enjoy from cheaper labour and other costs.