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A week-long series of meetings on agriculture on 13-17 February at the WTO did not result in more convergence on the issues covered, although positions of various countries or groupings were further clarified.

A new proposal was tabled last week on an accelerated programme for reducing domestic support for cotton by the four West African countries that are co-sponsors of the sectoral initiative in favour of cotton.

I. WHAT IS LEFT TO DECIDE?; II. THE PROCESS: modalities, schedules and timelines; III. AGRICULTURE AND NAMA: pushing for convergence; IV. SERVICES: preparing for the onslaught; V. IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER; VI. DOCUMENTS

Brazil is more than willing to come forward with an improved offer on reducing tariffs for industrials beyond its 54 percent cut already announced if the European Union improves its stance on agricultural market access and the United States further reduces its own domestic farm supports, said Brasilia's chief trade negotiator in Geneva yesterday.

A link to a technical paper produced by the U.S. and New Zealand on an approach to sensitive agriculture products in the WTO agriculture negotiations.

The third day of the meeting of the WIPO's Provisional Committee on Proposals Related to a Development Agenda (PCDA) discussed proposals of the Africa Group and Colombia.

The process on a Development Agenda for the World Intellectual Property Organisation resumes with a week-long meeting starting 20 February.

The Special Session of the Council for Trade in Services, meeting this week for the first time since the Hong Kong Ministerial Conference, has been taking up some organizational matters including on how to proceed with respect to the plurilateral process.

At a meeting on services at the WTO last week, several developing countries have stressed their understanding that participation in the plurilateral mode of negotiations would be on a voluntary and non-compulsory basis.

Six of the leading players in the long-running global trade talks are to meet in London next month for what is being billed as a 'collective striptease' to unblock deadlocked negotiations through a series of mutual concessions.