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Negotiators losing hope of Doha deal
With few concrete results to show after two months of intense negotiations on the Doha round to liberalise trade, a basic deal looks increasingly unlikely by the end of the year, diplomats said on Friday.
- Reuters
- Published: 00:02 October 28, 2007
Geneva: With few concrete results to show after two months of intense negotiations on the Doha round to liberalise trade, a basic deal looks increasingly unlikely by the end of the year, diplomats said on Friday.
Despite a frenetic series of meetings, consultations and talks in large and small groups since the start of September, negotiators at the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) Geneva headquarters have not made any dramatic progress.
The US says the richer developing countries are not showing enough willingness to open their markets for industrial goods with cuts in tariffs.
That, and greater access to markets for services like telecoms and banking, is the price Washington is seeking for politically sensitive cuts in its farm support.
It also says some rich countries like Japan and Switzerland are still shutting out food imports to protect their farmers.
And big developing nations like Brazil, India and South Africa say Washington wants them to expose their industries to competition before conceding the cuts they want in US farm subsidies that squeeze their goods out of world markets.
Basic agreement
Many negotiators were talking recently of outlining a basic agreement by December. But the recent demands, criticisms, and counter-proposals now make that look unrealistic.
"If we want a deal then we allow the process to continue and see where it takes us. If it's not December, it's February, or March, or whenever," a major developing country ambassador said in a comment to Reuters.
The Doha round was launched six years ago to remove barriers to trade to boost the world economy and in particular to help developing countries export their way out of poverty.
The talks in Geneva have yielded some progress on technical issues such as export finance for farm products.
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