Archive - mars 7, 2005 - Article

Senior officials attending a March 2-4 World Trade Organization "mini-ministerial" in Kenya reported progress on resolving their differences.

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,'

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EU trade commissioner said in the closed-door session that he does not feel 'apologetic' about raising the differentiation issue at last week's mini-ministerial World Trade Organization meeting.

This three-day informal trade ministerial meeting cross the first hurdle in grappling with the contentious issue of converting special and complex tariffs into ad valorem equivalents.

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.

The NFTC released a study March 4 that found significant tariff cuts will be necessary in order to impact trade flows.

The EU will contribute constructively 'to matching an agreement on the AVEs issue by end of April,' said EU trade commissioner Peter Mandelson.

On 6 February 2003, Brazil requested the establishment of a panel to examine the conformity with WTO law of certain US agricultural-support measures to producers, users and exporters of upland cotton .

The study underscores the need for an ambitious approach in the NAMA talks, Irace said, and for significant cuts in industrial tariffs by advanced developing countries