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USTR Rob Portman pledged Washington's resolve to take the 'leadership role' in the faltering world trade talks

At the 'somber' conclusion of last week's World Trade Organization General Council meeting, GC Chair Amina Mohamed unveiled a new 'blueprint' aimed at quickly transforming the Doha trade negotiations.

Farm policy chiefs of the European Union and the defensive Group-of-10 coalition on Friday signaled their opposition to cap high farm tariffs as suggested in the 'middle ground' market access formula of the Group-of-20 countries

The Chair of the WTO Trade Negotiations Committee (TNC) Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, at a meeting of the TNC on 28 July, summed up the situation in the negotiations on the Doha work programme as 'disappointing but not disastrous'.

Something that's been kept quiet is how Congress will decide by Sept.16 to cut $3 billion in Agriculture Department programs during the next five years including $173 million in the fiscal year that starts Oct. 1.

The Trade Negotiations Committee heard assessments from members on 28 July 2005on the state of play in the negotiations, with many members expressing disappointment that there had not been as much progress as scheduled, and urging that negotiating momentum pick up from September, after the summer break.

The WTO General Council meeting ended today without any of the original anticipated results of additional agreements (or 'first approximations') on agriculture,non-agricultural market access, services and 'development issues.'

Key members of the World Trade Organization yesterday vowed to launch a make-or-break next phase of Doha Development Agenda consultations starting in September to arrive at full modalities in agriculture, market access for industrial products and services

Congressional approval of a trade pact with six small Central American countries nudged forward the Bush administration's free-trade agenda. But the close vote and bitter fight underscored anxiety about the pace of globalization and clouded prospects for approval of future deals.

The highlight of yesterday's one-year assessment of the Doha Development Agenda farm negotiations focused mostly on the evaluation by agriculture negotiations chairman Tim Groser