BANGKOK, FEBRUARY 12: Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad urged world leaders on Saturday to stop and think before pressing for globalisation, according to a Japanese official. "Globalisation is meaningful. But the problem is that all people of the world do not equally benefit from it," a Japanese official quoted Mahathir as telling a luncheon meeting hosted by Thai Prime Minister Supachai Panitchpakdi.He said the concept of globalisation must be discussed before fully implementing it. "People of the world must stop and discuss globalisation," Mahathir was quoted as saying.Mahathir made the remarks shortly before the opening of the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) summit on Saturday. The Bangkok meeting is the first gathering of a global,inter-governmental group dealing with trade and economic affairs since a WTO ministerial meeting in Seattle failed to agree on starting a new round of global trade talks late last year.How to narrow the widening economic gaps between rich and poor will be high on the agenda at the UNCTAD meeting. The Japanese official said WTO Director-General Mike Moore told the luncheon meeting that globalisation had already moved forward and each country should think of ways to take advantage of it. "Globalisation is not an ideology," he was quoted as saying.He also said the United States wanted to launch a new round of global trade talks but its position remained unclear. "The US position is not clear as to how much sacrifice itshould make," Moore was quoted as saying.
