Trade ministers from Africa, Caribbean and Pacific nations have met in Mauritius to forge a joint position on global trade.

　　Officials from the 79 ACP countries hoped to draft a resolution to protect their economies from the farm subsidies of richer nations, notably the United States and European countries.

　　Saturday's ACP meeting comes a few weeks before a renewed effort by the World Trade Organization to address trade liberalization. Last year, WTO. talks failed due to a massive disagreement over agricultural subsidies.

　　Developing nations say that farm subsidies cripple their fragile agriculture-based economies and many of their people live on less than a dollar a day.

　　The WTO hopes to overcome the deadlock by July 30.