A Marathon G-6 Ministerial

Geneva Trade chiefs of the Group-of-Six nations will meet Thursday in a "last-ditch" effort to resolve all the remaining issues in the trade-distorting domestic support and market access pillars of Doha Development Agenda farm trade negotiations, WTD was told (see related report this issue).

Yesterday G-6 senior trade officials from the United States, the European Union, Brazil,

India, Australia and Japan reiterated long-standing positions, deciding to keep their respective proposals on the table for their trade ministers to hash out later in the week, trade diplomats said.

The meeting was called only to establish the agenda for the six trade ministers.

During the meeting, US officials reiterated demands for real effective market access through "bold" cuts and liberal treatment of sensitive products. The EU insisted on real cuts in trade distorting domestic supports.

The Group-of-20 proposal on market access and trade-distorting domestic supports offers the best route to break the logjam, stated Brazil. India said its proposal on flexibilities involving "special products" and the "special safeguard mechanism" will remain on the table for ministers to sort out.

Japan a member of the defensive Group-of-10 coalition stuck to its stance on market access and treatment of sensitive products, expressing strong opposition to tariff capping.

There was no substantive discussion of any elements within the market access or trade-distorting domestic support pillars, trade diplomats said.

Trade chiefs of the six countries will meet Thursday evening in what is expected to be a marathon session.