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Mandelson said the EU would support temporary exemptions for poor states that needed more time to implement new trade rules, and push for extra aid to help countries to improve trading facilities.

Allgeier said he believed WTO members were close to a final deal on the methodology. 'There's sort of odds and ends [that need to be resolved], but not the basic substance of it,'

Emphasized that passage of the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) would have negative effects across the state.

Dennis Olson of the Institute of Agriculture & Trade Policy said free trade agreements such as CAFTA do nothing to address poverty in developing countries - in fact they create it.

Brazil yesterday clashed with the European Union and Switzerland during the informal meeting of trade ministers here over how to speed up work in the Doha Development Agenda services negotiation

Brazil yesterday clashed with the European Union and Switzerland during the informal meeting of trade ministers here over how to speed up work in the Doha Development Agenda services negotiation

The EU, Switzerland, India and the United States made a strong pitch yesterday for stepping up the profile of services negotiations, maintaining that members will have to accelerate work in the coming days.

A revised US services offer expected in May is not expected to include new market access for business personnel.

The U.S. is under pressure from developing countries to provide additional access for business personnel in the Doha round services negotiations, or run the risk that developing countries will not open their markets in the negotiations.

The WTO panel Thursday announced its decision to reject a U.S. appeal of an earlier decision that its domestic and export subsidies on cotton harmed farmers in Brazil and other countries.