By Kanaga Raja, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Nov05)
Agriculture lies at the centre of the Doha Round and is the engine of the negotiations, the Group of 20 developing countries stressed on 9 November in a Ministerial press statement.
The European Union is poised to make a new offer to poor countries on reducing subsidies to EU cotton growers and lowering barriers to the EU market ahead of a key WTO meeting in December, the European Commission said.
The European Union rounded on critics of its hardline stance on farm aid in embattled world trade talks, saying they should spend less time 'finger-pointing' and more effort seeking compromise.
The state of negotiations in the WTO on non-agricultural market access (NAMA) is 'bad' and the picture is becoming more confused, according to the chairperson of the NAMA negotiating group.
Bliss said that the administration continues to be 'mindful' of congressional 'sensitivities' concerning calls by India and other developing countries for agreement in the WTO on facilitating the temporary cross-border movement of professional personnel--known as Mode 4--and that the United States has no plans to propose any new initiative in the area.
Taiwan farmers' interests must be protected and this will be the top priority of a national delegation taking part in a World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha round ministerial-level meeting next month in Hong Kong, Premier Frank Hsieh said Tuesday.
Asia-Pacific nations blamed the European Union for the gridlock in global trade talks as they called an urgent meeting to rescue next month's World Trade Organisation forum in Hong Kong.
