DAMASCUS -- Syrian Agriculture Minister Nouraddin Mani said that the recently held meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Tehran was successful and produced positive results.

According to the Syrian Arab News Agency **Sana**, Mani said it would be in the best interests of the Middle East countries to try to accede to the World Trade Organization (WTO).

He called on the states in the Mideast region to adopt measures to increase investment in the agriculture sector.

Ministers of agriculture and delegates from 24 Near Eastern Countries on March 13 endorsed the establishment of an "international alliance against hunger and poverty" during the Tehran FAO Meeting.

Near East agriculture leaders commended FAO for setting up a trust fund for food security and food safety while some 20 percent of the trust fund's initial target sum of $500 million have been secured.

The conference called on member states to adopt policies conducive to the strengthening of regional cooperation to increase intra-regional agricultural trade, to combat trans-boundary pest and animal health diseases and to implement joint research and biotechnology programs.

The FAO Near East Conference was the second regional conference after Africa en route to this year's World Food Summit: five years later. The 26th FAO Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean will be held in Havana, Cuba from 22-26 April.