The OECD has called on multinationals to respect human rights and work to eliminate child labour.

At a two-day meeting in Paris, 29 ministers from the world's largest industrialised countries agreed fresh guidelines for multinational companies and stressed their determination to launch a new round of trade talks.

Similar guidelines were put in place in 1976, but proved to be ineffective.

This time round,the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development promises close monitoring of multi national practices.

"The basic premise of the guidelines is that principles agreed internationally can help to prevent conflict and build an atmosphere of confidence between multinational enterprises and the societies in which they operate," said Australian Treasurer Peter Costello, who chaired the OECD meeting.

The guidelines were written after a year of talks with unions and non-governmental organisations.

While the OECD hopes that bad publicity will shame firms into treating workers well, NGOS say the guidelines don't go far enough.

More than 50 NGOs, including the World Wildlife Fund, Oxfam and Amnesty, have welcomed the move as a step in the right direction. But they point out that complaints will be handled by local governments, who often fall in with the demands of multinational investors.

Mexico's threat

Late on Monday, there had been suggestions that the agreement could collapse after Mexico voiced its opposition to the guidelines.

Mexico objected to the idea of publishing the names of offending companies.

The Mexican government feared that this could lead to harassment of companies and practices in Mexico by trade unions and protest groups.

However, OECD ministers managed to hammer out a compromise, which has found the approval of trade unions.

"It is important that governments put their action where their political commitment is and make these guidelines work," saidJohn Evans, general secretary of the Trades Union Advisory Committee to the OECD.

Trade next on agenda

The trade ministers are determined to work for the launch of a new round of trade talks "as soon as possible", the OECD said in a statement.

Ministers stressed the need to involve fully the developing world from the start.

The talks in Seattle last November - disrupted by street protests - ran aground amidst disagreements between industrial and developing countries, and a dispute between the US government and European Union countries over which trade areas to liberalise next.