TALKS ON THURSDAY BETWEEN RUSSIA AND WORLD TRADE ORGANISATION (WTO) MEMBER STATES MADE LITTLE PROGRESS ON REMOVING OBSTACLES TO RUSSIA'S ACCESSION, A SENIOR DIPLOMAT TOLD REUTERS. 'UNFORTUNATELY, WE HAVE NOT BEEN MAKING THE PROGRESS THAT ALL OF US WOULD LIKE,' SAID FORMER ICELANDIC AMBASSADOR TO THE WTO STEFAN JOHANNESSON, WHO CHAIRS THE TALKS. RUSSIA, THE LARGEST ECONOMY STILL OUTSIDE THE GENEVA-BASED TRADE BODY, HAS BEEN NEGOTIATING ENTRY FOR 13 YEARS. ALTHOUGH IT HAS REACHED BILATERAL DEALS WITH MOST OF THE 149 WTO MEMBER STATES THAT SOUGHT THEM, MOSCOW STILL NEEDS THE ACCORD OF THE OVERALL MEMBERSHIP THAT RUSSIAN COMMERCIAL RULES AND REGULATIONS ARE IN LINE WITH WTO PRACTICES. 'THERE IS SIGNIFICANT WORK TO BE DONE,' JOHANNESSON SAID. 'THERE ARE MANY POLICY ISSUES OUT THERE THAT NEED TO BE SETTLED,' HE ADDED, ALTHOUGH HE DECLINED TO GO INTO DETAIL ON WHERE THE PROBLEMS LAY. HE NOTED, HOWEVER, THAT NEGOTIATIONS HAD TOUCHED ON ONLY 19 OF THE 47 POLICY QUESTIONS NEEDING ATTENTION, RANGING FROM AGRICULTURE TO PROTECTION FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY. --MORE 23 28 LOCAL TIME 20 28 GMT
