Developing countries stand by key demands in WTO talks
Wednesday, 13 June 2007
GENEVA, June 12 (AFP): Developing countries vowed yesterday to stand their ground on key principles in deadlocked global trade talks, a week before four World Trade Organisation (WTO) powers are to make yet another bid to unlock the negotiations.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said after meeting counterparts and officials from other developing nations here that they were maintaining a united front.
"We all know that we are in a negotiating phase but we don't want to sacrifice basic positions just for a speedy result," he said.
Monday's encounter at the WTO in Geneva involved about 100 representatives from the Group of Twenty (G20) group of developing and emerging nations in the WTO, as well as members of other developing nation groups.
The groups reiterated in a statement that "agriculture lies at the centre of the Doha Development Agreement," which launched the global trade negotiations in the Qatari capital in 2001.
The meeting of ministers from Brazil, the European Union, India and the United States in Potsdam, Germany next week is due to make another attempt to unlock the floundering five year-old WTO talks.
The four countries represent a range of poor and rich country interests at the WTO. An agreement among them on the concessions needed to reduce barriers to trade in agriculture, industrial goods and services is regarded as essential to draw in the rest of the 150 members.
Developing countries and wealthy nations are largely at loggerheads over the degree of state support for agricultural markets along with the level of protection against imports, primarily in the EU and the United States.
Rich nations are also looking for more concessions from developing nations on access to their markets for industrial goods or for services companies.
But the developing countries underlined that they wanted more concessions from the United States.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday there is a "real possibility" of achieving an outline WTO deal by the end of the month.
"The gap has now narrowed," Blair told the House of Commons when he briefed lawmakers there on last week's G8 summit in Germany which included talks about the stalled five-year-old Doha round of trade negotiations.
Developing countries and wealthy nations are largely at loggerheads over the degree of state support for agricultural markets along with the level of protection against imports, mainly in the European Union and the United States.
Rich nations meanwhile are looking for more concessions from developing nations on access to their markets for industrial goods.
Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said after meeting counterparts and officials from other developing nations here that they were maintaining a united front.
"We all know that we are in a negotiating phase but we don't want to sacrifice basic positions just for a speedy result," he said.
Monday's encounter at the WTO in Geneva involved about 100 representatives from the Group of Twenty (G20) group of developing and emerging nations in the WTO, as well as members of other developing nation groups.
The groups reiterated in a statement that "agriculture lies at the centre of the Doha Development Agreement," which launched the global trade negotiations in the Qatari capital in 2001.
The meeting of ministers from Brazil, the European Union, India and the United States in Potsdam, Germany next week is due to make another attempt to unlock the floundering five year-old WTO talks.
The four countries represent a range of poor and rich country interests at the WTO. An agreement among them on the concessions needed to reduce barriers to trade in agriculture, industrial goods and services is regarded as essential to draw in the rest of the 150 members.
Developing countries and wealthy nations are largely at loggerheads over the degree of state support for agricultural markets along with the level of protection against imports, primarily in the EU and the United States.
Rich nations are also looking for more concessions from developing nations on access to their markets for industrial goods or for services companies.
But the developing countries underlined that they wanted more concessions from the United States.
Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday there is a "real possibility" of achieving an outline WTO deal by the end of the month.
"The gap has now narrowed," Blair told the House of Commons when he briefed lawmakers there on last week's G8 summit in Germany which included talks about the stalled five-year-old Doha round of trade negotiations.
Developing countries and wealthy nations are largely at loggerheads over the degree of state support for agricultural markets along with the level of protection against imports, mainly in the European Union and the United States.
Rich nations meanwhile are looking for more concessions from developing nations on access to their markets for industrial goods.