Japan and other major industrialized nations should open up their agricultural markets to give developing countries the opportunity to sell their goods on an equal footing, according to Ian Goldin, vice president of the World Bank.

Goldin, who left Tokyo on Tuesday after a four-day visit, expressed regret over the September failure of World Trade Organization talks in Cancun, Mexico.

The WTO talks broke down as developing nations criticized rich nations for refusing to offer meaningful concessions on market access and subsidies.

In an interview with The Japan Times, Goldin said two-thirds of developing nations earn their living through farming, and they depend a great deal on market access, which makes the WTO talks crucial for them.

"The most important thing the rich countries can do to help developing countries is to give them opportunity to sell their goods," Goldin said.

Japan has often been criticized for failing to open its agricultural market, especially for rice, during WTO talks and in negotiations on bilateral free trade agreements with Mexico and other Asian countries.

Although he admitted that the failure at the WTO is a major setback for global trade negotiations, it reflects a change of balance between traditional economic giants and other rising powers.

"This was the first time in trade negotiations that developing countries were united as a bloc and found their voice," Goldin said, adding that it was usually the rich countries that clashed with each other in the past.

Goldin noted that the developing countries, led by Brazil and India, will continue to have an influence in global negotiations in the future.

On the issue of reconstruction efforts in Iraq, Goldin stressed the need to restore stability there so that World Bank staff can work safely in implementing its projects.

Of about a dozen World Bank staff members working in Iraq, one was killed and four others injured in the the August bombing of the U.N. headquarters in Baghdad. The international organization has withdrawn its officials from Baghdad since then.

"To get wide-scale reconstruction efforts going, we need staff on the ground," Goldin said. "We cannot send in missions if people are not safe."

He also expressed hope that a legitimate government will be created soon so that the bank can provide loans to the war-torn country.

The World Bank estimates that reconstruction costs in Iraq over the 2004-2007 period will require about $36 billion. The bank has also announced its intention to offer support of up to $5 billion over a five-year period.