Archive - 2005 - Article

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said on Sunday there would be no new world trade agreement at a summit in Hong Kong next month unless the United States and Brazil compromised.

Senior U.S. officials on Monday called on China to open its markets further but also sought Chinese help in breaking an impasse in global trade talks, a combination of tough demands and pleas for assistance that increasingly characterizes the broader Chinese-American relationship

The General Council formally concluded, on 11 November 2005, negotiations with Saudi Arabia on the terms of the country's membership to the WTO

For Amorim and the other negotiators from developing countries that have been run over by the rich world in trade talks for the past 50 years, this page has two words: Stand fast.

Preparations for the World Trade Organization's important ministerial conference in Hong Kong were thrown into disarray following two days of fruitless ministerial talks in Geneva Nov. 8-9, where member governments essentially gave up on achieving their stated goals for the December gathering.

WTO members invited to a 'super Green Room' meeting at the WTO headquarters have significantly scaled down their expectations of the outcome of the WTO's Hong Kong Ministerial conference in December.

Top WTO negotiators said they had failed to bridge key differences on a global trade accord in talks this week and acknowledged that the scope of a crucial ministerial meeting in Hong Kong next month would have to be scaled back.

Trading nations still deeply divided on key issues faced the prospect of a watered-down WTO ministerial conference next month in Hong Kong, where they are hoping to put together a framework deal to lower global trade barriers.

Negotiations seemed to have been put 'on hold' at the World Trade Organisation as delegates in Geneva awaited the outcome of a Ministerial meeting in London Monday involving the US, EU, India and Brazil.

A Mini-Ministerial meeting was under way at the WTO this afternoon in an attempt by the Director-General Pascal Lamy to provide some political momentum to the faltering preparatory process for the Hong Kong Ministerial conference in mid-December.