WTO talks face
collapse
AFP-Google
July 25, 2008
GENEVA (AFP) — WTO head Pascal Lamy
warned on Friday that talks on a global free-trade pact faced collapse as
leading nations searched here for a way to break a seven-year log jam.
"We need to change gears very quickly to turn things
around," Lamy was quoted as saying by his
spokesman
Beginning a fifth day of meetings, diplomats and negotiators
said that Friday would be make-or-break at the end of gruelling
week of bargaining at the World Trade Organization which has produced scant
evidence of progress.
"The situation as I see it is critical, edging between
success and failure," said Lamy, who called the
meeting of leading trading nations this week in what was a high-stakes attempt
to finally broker a deal.
"Some convergences have been recorded but progress
remains painfully slow after four days of ministerial negotiation," Lamy told delegations from the 153 members of the WTO in a
morning meeting, his spokesman said.
"It's a crucial day," said European Union Trade
Commissioner Peter Mandelson as he arrived for talks
with a small group of leading nations composed of the US, the EU, Japan, India,
Brazil, Australia and China.
"We have to see flexibility from people to enable us
all to move forward. If certain people who are negotiating will not show any
flexibility at all then it takes the rest of the negotiations hostage."
Ministers from 35 leading economies are meeting to discuss
reductions in subsidies and import tariffs with the aim of mapping out a deal
to conclude the long-delayed Doha Round of global trade talks.
The Doha Round began seven years ago with the aim of helping
poor countries enjoy the fruits of freer global trade but the process has been
delayed by disputes between the rich developed world and poorer developing
nations.
The two sides have settled into a familiar pattern of
demanding concessions from each other and refusing to budge until new offers
have been put forward.
Such brinkmanship has led to the collapse of talks an several occasions since the Doha Round began in the
Qatari capital in 2001.
Any final deal, if approved by negotiators here, would still
need to be cleared by all 153 WTO member states.
Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Jonas Gahr
Stoere stressed to AFP that as long as ministers were
continuing negotiations it was a positive sign.
"As long as the ministers are in town, there is an
opportunity of striking a deal," Norwegian Foreign Affairs Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere told AFP.
But he added that on "critical issues, distances
(between the parties) are wide ... Until there is some movement on these, we
are not there."
Lamy's spokesman, Keith Rockwell,
said that ministers had indicated they were ready to stay longer into next week
"if they had indications today that there was progress that would make
that worth their while."
One diplomat who declined to be named said there has been
little positive coming out of the talks so far this week -- except the fact
that discussions were still ongoing.
"It has been dark. The only unknown is whether this
darkness would lead to a deeper abyss of darkness or if there is light beyond
the darkness.
"As it is so often with such negotiations, it is only
at the last minute when a breakthrough can be wrought. We'll see," he told
AFP.
The only sign of public movement in the negotiations has
been offers from the EU and the
On Tuesday, Washington offered to cut two billion dollars
from its annual aid for farmers to leave it at 15 billion dollars -- a move
greeted by key developing economy India as welcome but still inadequate.
The
Source: AFP
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