Archive - set 2005 - Article

Paris 'Quad' trade members from the United States, the European Union, Brazil and India were able here last Friday to conclude their meeting on an optimistic note after an exchange of figures by the United States and the European Union to be eventually plugged into a tariff-cutting formula in the market access pillar of Doha Development Agenda

The United States and the European Union on Friday asked Brazil and India to agree to a 'Swiss' formula with two coefficients one for the industrialized countries and one for the developing countries to cut industrial tariffs

The differences among members on these issues were as wide as before the WTO's summer break, with the countries reiterating their known positions

Highlights on the best of the best and also has a transcript based on Public Citizen's notes of the entire hearing

The week of agriculture negotiations at the World Trade Organisation ended a day earlier than scheduled, due to lack of any new 'movement' by the major members.

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U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman on Sept. 21 rejected calls being made by the European Union to agree in the ongoing Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks to convert U.S. food aid into cash payments, saying that he would fight to maintain the current system.

The chairman of the Doha Development Agenda market access negotiations for industrials yesterday made some headway in jump-starting negotiations on a tariff-cutting formula - but sharp differences exist on details between the 'Friends of Ambition' led by the United States and the so-called 'ABI'

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The WTO negotiations on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) are taking place now in Geneva, on 21-23 September. The negotiations are already quite advanced. If there are signs of serious movements in agriculture, the major players could well try to wrap things up in NAMA quickly - with serious consequences for the developing countries' industries.(M.Khor)