MOSCOW, March 30 (RIA Novosti) - Russia's economic development and trade minister said Thursday he hoped that Moscow and Washington would reach an agreement on all disputed issues regarding the former's accession to the body governing global trade.
"Intensive and difficult talks are under way," German Gref said. "However, we are optimistic that solutions to the remaining issues will be found in no more than one to one and a half months."
President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday the United States was deliberately slowing down Russia's accession to the World Trade Organization.
He said Russia wanted to join the WTO, but added: "We will take this step if it satisfies all participants in the process, and primarily Russia and the [Russian] economy."
"We have received a list of questions from our American colleagues that require additional agreements that we thought had been settled long ago," Putin said. "The negotiations process is being artificially set back."
Gref said the list included issues that had not previously been identified as contentious.
The minister said Russian and U.S. experts had discussed the issues in Geneva recently during the latest round of talks on Russia's potential WTO membership.
"Five-six issues remain crucial," Gref said, adding that he would discuss them with U.S. Trade Representative Robert Portman.
He said the sides were to discuss agricultural tariffs and subsidies, financial services, meat quotas and activities of state-run trade companies.
Current Russia-U.S. negotiations have stalled over access to Russia's financial market. The economics ministry and banking officials have warned that Russia's banking system is unprepared to compete with foreign banks.
Maxim Medvedkov, Russia's top negotiator at the WTO talks, said last week that the foreign-interest ceiling would be raised to 50% from the current 25% if the U.S. stopped insisting that its banks and insurance companies have the right to open affiliates in Russia.
Medvedkov said following the recent talks in Geneva that the financial market access had not been discussed with the U.S.
"However, the train is moving slowly but surely toward its destination," he added.
Russia is also continuing negotiations with Australia and Columbia but the United States is the most important country with which Russia has still to complete negotiations.
