PROGRESS AT RUBBER PACT TALKS REPORTED SLOW Negotiators at a United Nations conference on natural rubber are making slow progress towards reaching an agreement, delegates said. The conference, which began Monday, is widely seen as the final effort to adopt a new International Natural Rubber Agreement (INRA) before the current one expires in October. Some 40 producing and consuming countries are taking part in the two-week meeting. This is the fourth such conference in nearly two years. Delegates said both sides still appeared divided on the key issue of the price adjustment mechanism. Consumers want frequent price reviews at 12 month intervals instead of 18 months as at present, a proposal currently rejected by producers. And while consumers press for the price adjustment to be automatic, producers have resisted reducing the role of the International Rubber Organization Council in the price adjustment procedure. Conference chairman Manaspas Xuto of Thailand has said it was "imperative" to settle outstanding issues this week so that technical drafting work can be done next week.