Due to technical and negotiation shortcomings, some LDCs and developing countries are deprived of world trade benefits, Choudhury said. "So we must enrich ourselves with key trade issues of WTO to derive maximum benefits."

The minister was speaking at the inaugural function of a WTO-sponsored workshop on "Trade in Services Negotiations for Asian and the Pacific Economies" in Dhaka.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) and United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN-Escap) are sponsoring the three-day workshop in collaboration with the Ministry of Commerce.

Discussants at the inaugural session underscored the need for protecting the interest of least developed countries (LDCs) in trade negotiations.

Top government officials and negotiators of Bangladesh said LDCs are less interested in talks on General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) as it provides no guaranteed access for movement of natural persons.

"While GATS covers service suppliers at all skill levels, the WTO members' commitment tend to be limited to higher skilled categories such as managers, specialists and professionals," the commerce minister said.

He said the rich countries should change their stance about the LDCs' demand for temporary movement of natural persons, unskilled and semi-skilled.

State Minister for Finance Shah Md Abul Hossain said as LDCs have only 0.4 percent share in global trade their position must be strengthened to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals of halving poverty by 2015.

"In the changing consumer trend, service sector is the key vehicle of increasing trade volume. So to give a hand to LDCs in this sector, natural persons should be treated as service and visa restrictions should be simplified," he said.

Advisor to the commerce ministry Barkat Ullah Bulu said the developed countries must accommodate concern and interest like temporary movement of natural persons of LDCs to move ahead with WTO talks, now remained stalled.

Commerce Secretary Suhel Ahmed said wage parity, reciprocal recognition of qualification, temporary movement of natural persons and visa regime are the issues need to be clarified and solved for starting talks on liberalisation of service sector.

UN-Escap Representative Mathias Bruckner also spoke at the opening function held at Sonargaon Hotel. Government officials, representatives of trade bodies and service sector people were the participants.

A total of 39 participants from 20 Asia Pacific countries including 13 from Bangladesh are taking part in the workshop. Six resource persons from WTO, UN-Escap and Asean Secretariat are conducting the technical sessions.