Archive - 2005

December 30th

HKPA strongly condemns Hong Kong SAR government for groundless prosecution; Demands dropping of charges against 14 protestors

29 December, 2005
Today (30 Dec), 14 people who participated in the protest against the WTO were produced in court again. Since there was insufficient evidence to prosecute the protestors, the court had to adjourn and the case was rescheduled for 11 Jan 2006.

December 29th

Argentine Minister Says Meager WTO Results Bode Badly for Pan-American Free Trade Deal

28 December, 2005
Argentina's Foreign Minister Jorge Taiana Dec. 21 said insufficient progress on farm trade liberalization at the latest round of World Trade Organization talks held in Hong Kong bode badly for the U.S.-sponsored Free Trade Area of the Americas

December 27th

Doubt Expressed About WTO Year-End 2006 Deadline, Raising Specter of TPA Renewal

26 December, 2005
Trade ministers at the World Trade Organization's Dec. 13-18 ministerial meeting in Hong Kong agreed to set a new deadline for completing the Doha Round of trade talks by the end of 2006, but many observers are skeptical that the negotiations, which are stalled in several areas, can be completed by then.

December 21st

How the WTO's conference adopted its ministerial declaration in Hong Kong

20 December, 2005
The sixth Ministerial conference of the WTO ended on Sunday with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration in a carefully choreographed closing session designed in a way to prevent delegations from speaking or taking an active role in decision-making

'2013' for Ag Subsidies Elimination

20 December, 2005
The Hong Kong ministerial declaration approved late yesterday by 150 World Trade Organization delegates gathered here for the sixth ministerial meeting set 2013 as the date for eliminating all agricultural export subsidies an agreement that came after hours of wrangling as well as threats of walk-outs from some trade ministers

A 'Hong Kong' Analysis

20 December, 2005
Last week's sixth World Trade Organization ministerial conference which brought about '5 percent progress' in the languishing Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations, according to Director General Pascal Lamy has preserved the 'process' more than adding to the substance of the four-year-old negotiations

Lamy, Tsang upbeat at post-Conference press conference

20 December, 2005
This is a report of the four press conferences that were held after the closing session of the WTO

NGOs criticize WTO?s Hong Kong outcome

20 December, 2005
In contrast to statements by several governments who hailed the WTO

December 20th

Quietly trading away our rights

19 December, 2005
The deal patched together at the World Trade Organisation Ministerial meeting in Hong Kong at the weekend is widely seen as a face saving exercise designed to save the talks from collapse. And there is doubt that the many remaining areas of disagreement can be sorted out by the target date of the end of next year.

Protesters denounce police violence

19 December, 2005
press statement: Anti-WTO activists present at the December 17 standoff with the Hong Kong police outside the HKCEC denounce the heavy-handed tactics used to disperse an assembly of unarmed protesters