Russia thinks it can reach a deal to join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) by the end of the year, but its trade partners must accept reasonable terms, Economy Minister German Gref said on Friday. In a speech to the WTO, Gref said talks on the accession of Russia, a major oil producer and the largest economy still outside the 148-state body, had dragged on long enough, Reuters reported. "It is time to wrap this up after 11 years of negotiations," trade officials quoted him as telling the closed-door session of the negotiating body, the Working Party on Russia's accession. "But we also hope for flexibility from trade partners. We will not assume obligations that we cannot carry out, or which limit our rights," he said. Both Russia and its leading trade partners have said they hope an accord on entry will be ready for trade ministers to sign at a WTO conference set for Hong Kong in December. Moscow's formal entry could come a few months later. But Russia and its trading partners put the onus on each other to see that this happens. "The government is intent on exerting every effort to complete ... negotiations by December," Gref told journalists. "But the keys to this process are in the pockets of our partners." --More 2205 Local Time 1905 GMT
