Ireland will be co-founder of a new Geneva-based office to help poorer countries trade with the rest of the world. The centre, which will act as a permanent trade advice bureau for struggling nations, will be announced this week at the meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in Seattle.

The Minister of State with responsibility for Trade, Mr Tom Kitt, said he and his counterparts in Denmark and the Netherlands were behind the plan. The proposal now has the backing of the European Union, and should be approved at the WTO gathering.

Mr Kitt said in an interview with The Irish Times that even if the WTO as a whole did not back the centre, the Republic, the Netherlands, Denmark and Britain would establish the office. The State's contribution would amount to $2.5 million (€2.4 million), he added.

"This centre will offer independent advice to countries, and allow them to build up their expertise, in order to participate more fully in the WTO," Mr Kitt said. "It's putting our money where our mouth is in terms of actually doing something for these countries."

Mr Kitt said the poorest 48 countries in the world accounted for just 0.5 per cent of world trade. They needed assistance and the new centre would help them in negotiating the rules and regulations of trade.

"Look at our trade statistics for January to July this year - exports to the value of £29 billion (€37 billion), up 13 per cent on the same period last year. These exports are widely spread across Europe, the Americas and Asia," said Mr Kitt. "On a per capita basis we are now one of the top 20 exporting countries in the world."

Ireland will also back an EU proposal to waive all tariffs on goods from these poorest countries, he said. The Republic had huge gains to make from a successful outcome in Seattle, he added.

On agriculture, where many countries view grants to farmers as distorting the world market, Mr Kitt said Ireland's pro-subsidy policy was given enormous strength by its incorporation in the EU position.