ID :
34763
Wed, 12/10/2008 - 09:05
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/34763
The shortlink copeid
WTO fails to set date for ministerial meeting+
GENEVA, Dec. 9 Kyodo -
The World Trade Organization on Monday put off setting a date for a ministerial
meeting in Geneva to aim for a breakthrough in the Doha Round of trade
liberalization talks, underscoring anew that numerous differences remain in the
positions of key trading powers, trade negotiators said.
WTO Director General Pascal Lamy was widely expected to call trade chiefs to
the WTO's headquarters from Saturday after holding final discussions with
ambassadors in the Swiss city.
But some WTO members expressed reservations about holding the meeting, noting
that the risk of failure is great even if trade ministers get together again
amid remaining gaps in the core areas of agriculture and industrial goods, the
negotiators said.
The meeting has been under consideration since the leaders of the Group of 20
developed and emerging economies about a month ago at the financial summit in
Washington called for an outline deal by the end of the year as a way to
breathe new life into the ailing global economy.
The WTO's postponement of announcing the schedule is generating speculation
that there may not be a ministerial meeting by the year's end for the
seven-year-old trade negotiations, despite the leaders' request.
In Tokyo, Toshihiro Nikai, Japan's economy, trade and industry minister, told
reporters, ''It would be premature to judge that there won't be a ministerial
meeting (in December).''
''We should not be pessimistic over the slight delay,'' Nikai said. ''I believe
Mr. Lamy and the WTO's secretariat made the decision as a way of making
progress in the negotiations.''
On Tuesday night, Nikai held a telephone conversation with Lamy to exchange
views on the latest situation regarding the talks, according to Japanese
officials.
Lamy is considering calling a meeting of ministers for Dec. 17 to 19, if
discussions in the coming days suggest a brighter outlook for an outline deal,
according to the negotiators.
Initially, the WTO chief had hoped to invite trade ministers to Geneva between
Saturday and Monday.
During the meeting with about 30 WTO ambassadors, Lamy noted there are three
major stumbling blocks to efforts to clinch a deal, according to the
negotiators.
They are proposals to scrap tariffs in specific industrial sectors, a mechanism
to safeguard farmers in developing countries from a surge in imports and
subsidies for U.S. cotton, they said.
A previous ministerial meeting in July collapsed largely because the United
States clashed with India and China over the terms of the farm protection
mechanism, although a major breakthrough in the long-running talks was in sight
at one point.
This time, if a ministerial meeting is held in December, many trade negotiators
have warned that talks on cuts in industrial sector tariffs have the potential
to cause a breakdown.
The postponement was decided after the WTO released on Saturday a set of
revised proposals, or so-called negotiating text drafts, on the farm and
manufactured good negotiations.
The texts were released to be used as the basis for the next ministerial meeting.
U.S. farm and industrial groups, such as the National Association of
Manufacturers that has strong influence on Congress, have criticized the
content of the new texts, saying they would lead to fewer business
opportunities for the United States.
The WTO chief has become more cautious about going ahead with the planned
ministerial meeting on the back of their opposition to the latest texts, some
trade negotiators said.
In Japan, mainly farmers are concerned about rushing into a ministerial meeting
to unlock the long-running negotiations.
About 3,000 farmers from across the country on Tuesday gathered in the area in
Tokyo where many government office buildings are located and staged a protest
march against steep farm tariff cuts.
''We can't accept conditions that will cause anxiety and confusion in future
farm management,'' said Mamoru Moteki, who heads the Central Union of
Agricultural Cooperatives, the organizer of the rally.
==Kyodo
The World Trade Organization on Monday put off setting a date for a ministerial
meeting in Geneva to aim for a breakthrough in the Doha Round of trade
liberalization talks, underscoring anew that numerous differences remain in the
positions of key trading powers, trade negotiators said.
WTO Director General Pascal Lamy was widely expected to call trade chiefs to
the WTO's headquarters from Saturday after holding final discussions with
ambassadors in the Swiss city.
But some WTO members expressed reservations about holding the meeting, noting
that the risk of failure is great even if trade ministers get together again
amid remaining gaps in the core areas of agriculture and industrial goods, the
negotiators said.
The meeting has been under consideration since the leaders of the Group of 20
developed and emerging economies about a month ago at the financial summit in
Washington called for an outline deal by the end of the year as a way to
breathe new life into the ailing global economy.
The WTO's postponement of announcing the schedule is generating speculation
that there may not be a ministerial meeting by the year's end for the
seven-year-old trade negotiations, despite the leaders' request.
In Tokyo, Toshihiro Nikai, Japan's economy, trade and industry minister, told
reporters, ''It would be premature to judge that there won't be a ministerial
meeting (in December).''
''We should not be pessimistic over the slight delay,'' Nikai said. ''I believe
Mr. Lamy and the WTO's secretariat made the decision as a way of making
progress in the negotiations.''
On Tuesday night, Nikai held a telephone conversation with Lamy to exchange
views on the latest situation regarding the talks, according to Japanese
officials.
Lamy is considering calling a meeting of ministers for Dec. 17 to 19, if
discussions in the coming days suggest a brighter outlook for an outline deal,
according to the negotiators.
Initially, the WTO chief had hoped to invite trade ministers to Geneva between
Saturday and Monday.
During the meeting with about 30 WTO ambassadors, Lamy noted there are three
major stumbling blocks to efforts to clinch a deal, according to the
negotiators.
They are proposals to scrap tariffs in specific industrial sectors, a mechanism
to safeguard farmers in developing countries from a surge in imports and
subsidies for U.S. cotton, they said.
A previous ministerial meeting in July collapsed largely because the United
States clashed with India and China over the terms of the farm protection
mechanism, although a major breakthrough in the long-running talks was in sight
at one point.
This time, if a ministerial meeting is held in December, many trade negotiators
have warned that talks on cuts in industrial sector tariffs have the potential
to cause a breakdown.
The postponement was decided after the WTO released on Saturday a set of
revised proposals, or so-called negotiating text drafts, on the farm and
manufactured good negotiations.
The texts were released to be used as the basis for the next ministerial meeting.
U.S. farm and industrial groups, such as the National Association of
Manufacturers that has strong influence on Congress, have criticized the
content of the new texts, saying they would lead to fewer business
opportunities for the United States.
The WTO chief has become more cautious about going ahead with the planned
ministerial meeting on the back of their opposition to the latest texts, some
trade negotiators said.
In Japan, mainly farmers are concerned about rushing into a ministerial meeting
to unlock the long-running negotiations.
About 3,000 farmers from across the country on Tuesday gathered in the area in
Tokyo where many government office buildings are located and staged a protest
march against steep farm tariff cuts.
''We can't accept conditions that will cause anxiety and confusion in future
farm management,'' said Mamoru Moteki, who heads the Central Union of
Agricultural Cooperatives, the organizer of the rally.
==Kyodo
