Thai Deputy Prime Minister Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi Friday called for transparency in the World Trade Organisation's decision making, saying future trade negotiations should benefit all, reports AFP.

"Developing countries are questioning about the transparency in WTO's decision making process ... There is scope for improvements in the process," said Supachai. who will succeed Mike Moore as WTO director general in 2002.

He was talking at the launch of a business conference in Dhaka, organised by Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and inaugurated by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Haslna.

More needed to be done to practise free trade, which must go hand in hand with other enabling measures for developing nations, he added.

"Future trade negotiations can come about only if that is beneficial to all," he said. Supachai said many WTO commitments had not yet been implemented, including intellectual property rights

In the textile sector, liberalisation was only being achieved "half-heartedly" while measures such as export subsidies by developed nations were affecting the Interests of developing countries. headded.