Related News
WTO鈥檚 talks on trade reform flop
Print Edition
Marathon talks on the World Trade Organization’s first-ever worldwide trade reform in Geneva failed early yesterday to agree on a text to put to ministers who meet in Bali next month.
The fate of the agreement to streamline customs procedures and speed up global trade could now hang on whether the ministers can overcome remaining differences when they gather early next month at the WTO’s biennial conference in Bali.
The International Chamber of Commerce says the deal would add US$960 billion to the world economy and create 21 million jobs, 18 million of them in developing countries. It would also revive confidence in the WTO as a forum for trade negotiations.
The proposed accord includes elements of the Doha round of talks, which began in 2001 but repeatedly failed to ink a deal over the subsequent decade.
WTO Director-General Roberto Azevedo has forced diplomats from the 159 members through a punishing 10 weeks of talks to try to agree a text for the ministers to rubber-stamp.
Azevedo said on Friday he hoped to clinch a deal over the weekend. But the final Geneva negotiating session finished at 7am without agreement.
Taco Stoppels, a counselor at the Dutch mission to the WTO, tweeted that Azevedo “closed meeting by simply thanking everyone. Text is not ready.”
People involved in the talks said negotiators had come very close to a deal, although progress at times had been glacial. “We spent nine hours on one paragraph this morning. Once again, a near-death experience,” one participant said on Sunday.
Unresolved issues include an Indian crop stockpiling plan that is exempt from WTO subsidy rules and a challenge to the US economic embargo on Cuba. Turkey also has concerns about new rules on transit, while there is Central American resistance to demands to stop using customs brokers to handle trade.
Azevedo will address the WTO ambassadors at a meeting of the trade body’s General Council today.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 娌狪CP璇侊細娌狪CP澶05050403鍙-1
- |
- 浜掕仈缃戞柊闂讳俊鎭湇鍔¤鍙瘉锛31120180004
- |
- 缃戠粶瑙嗗惉璁稿彲璇侊細0909346
- |
- 骞挎挱鐢佃鑺傜洰鍒朵綔璁稿彲璇侊細娌瓧绗354鍙
- |
- 澧炲肩數淇′笟鍔＄粡钀ヨ鍙瘉锛氭勃B2-20120012
Copyright 漏 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
