WTO Doha talks collapse again
Agricultural subsidies remain a sticking point at WTO talks
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Thursday, 21, Jun 2007 06:55
Highest-level trade talks between countries representing the developed and developing world have collapsed again, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has confirmed.
The latest round of discussions in Potsdam, Germany, between representatives of the US, EU, Brazil and India (G4), had been aimed at kick-starting the Doha round of free trade negotiations begun six years ago.
Pascal Lamy, the director general of the WTO, has warned that further disagreements could put back talks started in the capital of Qatar designed to lift the world's poor out of poverty until the next decade.
The deadlock centres on the EU and US' insistence that they cannot cut agricultural subsidies to their own farmers until developing nations open up their farming and industrial markets to outside investment.
India's commerce minister Kamal Nath was the first to reveal that talks had collapsed again, telling a news conference: "If the round is to move forward, there will have to be a substantial attitude change."
Brazilian foreign minister Celso Amorim later confirmed that Potsdam, "once again, was not successful".
Reacting to the latest collapse, Mr Lamy said in a statement: "G4 members have been meeting in Potsdam to try to bridge gaps in their negotiating positions.
"Convergence among these members would have been helpful to pave the way towards multilateral convergence. But helpful does not mean indispensable. This negotiation is an endeavour among the 150 members of the WTO."
He went on to say: "The negotiating process is driven by the chairs of the negotiating groups, who have responsibility to table compromise texts in their respective areas.
"I now call on the members of the G4 to contribute to the multilateral negotiating process, which will continue as of today in Geneva."