TEHRAN Iran's commerce minister criticized countries which try to prevent Iran from joining the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Central News Bureau reported.

Commerce Minister Mohammad Shariatmadari urged developing states to adopt an effective strategy for arriving at decisions particularly in matters affecting their attempts to join the World Trade Organ

Shariatmadari, who was speaking at the Central Asian and Caucasian States' Trade Ministers Forum in Tbilisi, Georgia, said unfortunately the delay in accepting certain states' membership would put int

He said the WTO should act in a way that no country will be denied access to the body and no country will be able to prevent others from joining it.

He also noted that countries expect the WTO to act promptly to remove hurdles to membership and thereby restore the confidence of world states in its reputation as a global organization.

In the meeting, the minister explained in brief the rules adopted by the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran to attract foreign investment, reduce direct taxes as well as the structural reforms

Expressing concern over the growing inequality among countries of the world, Shariatmadari said that only a few developing countries have been able to diversify their exports as a result of trade libe

He said while the economies of developing countries are extremely dependent on their exports of goods and raw materials, the prices of these goods are always falling which is a major deterrent in impr