Archive - 2005 - Article

The meeting of the WTO General Council at the end of July 2005 failed to produce an outcome in terms of 'additional convergence' on a range of issues mainly because of the lack of progress in the negotiations on agriculture among a small group of countries.

The United States will host an informal trade ministerial meeting on October 10 in Zurich to accelerate the flagging Doha trade negotiations ahead of crucial trade negotiations committee and General Council meetings next month

On 9 September, Saudi Arabia and the US concluded a bilateral deal on Saudi Arabia's accession to the WTO

The Third World Network held a regional Asian workshop on bilateraland regional FTAs on 26-29 August in Kuala Lumpur. Many speakers and participants voiced concerns about how the developed countries are making use of such FTAs to get developing countries to accept issues (such as investment) and rules (such as in intellectual property and services) that oblige them to take on more commitments than they have acepted in the WTO.(M.Khor)

The Hong Kong government has ordered hospitals to stock up on antidotes to cyanide and insecticide in preparation for chemical attacks during the World Trade Organization meeting in December

This is a transcript of Lamy's media conference held September 15, 2005.

In this speech, Peter Mandelson sets out the political and economic case for the Doha Round.

A U.S. trade official said the U.S. and the South African Customs Union will restart negotiations on a free trade agreement later this month in Botswana with discussions on non-agricultural market access.

Developed countries have launched a joint offensive to introduce new methods of getting developing countries to commit themselves to liberalising their services sectors in the WTO

US Trade Representative Rob Portman and visiting European Union Commissioner for Trade Peter Mandelson said both sides have made progress in bridging their differences in the Doha Development Agenda agriculture negotiations