But things are still hanging on the balance, leaving the LDCs lot uncertain until the last day of the meet on Sunday.

"LDCs issues are being addressed. However, it is not certain whether there will be any forward movement," one official of the Bangladesh delegation to the WTO meet told the news agency from the meeting venue in Cancun, Mexico.

"Seemingly, negotiations are centered on agriculture and the Singapore issues," he said, commenting on some of the major issues discussed during negotiations over the last two days.

He added that some of the negotiators indicated that if there was a positive movement in agriculture, they might agree to initiate negotiations on the Singapore issues. "There is overall pressure to agree on the Singapore issues."

The negotiators were clearly divided on removing subsidy from agriculture.

However, the official said, all countries would be reiterating their earlier stand at the proceedings of the third day.

"Seemingly," he said, "agreement on the Ministerial Text (of Cancun declaration) will be reached on the last day. "Before that it is very difficult to prejudge the outcome."

Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury, the leader of the 17-member Bangladesh delegation, prior to his departure for Cancun on Sept. 7, termed the Singapore issues as an added burden on the LDCs, when other issues such as Doha agreement still remained unimplemented.

He said developed countries were bringing the issues to the forefront to arrest corruption in the LDCs. "Even then, our position is not to entertain the issues."

The Singapore issues include investment policy, trade and competition policy, transparency in government procurement, and trade facilitation.

Bangladesh, however, would discuss the Singapore issues with other fellow LDCs to determine the strategy, Khosru indicated.

WTO critics thought that the issues were designed as an added barrier to the LDCs trade to further marginalise them.

As apprehended earlier, agriculture became a very strong debating issue at the meet, which was one of the major issues for Bangladesh and other LDCs.

Issues of Bangladesh, as also of other LDC concerns, still expected to be discussed in the Cancun meet include non-agricultural market access, special and differential treatment, services, TRIPS and public health, rules, dispute settlement, trade-related capacity building, and implementation issues.