WTO negotiators ready to talk
GENEVA (AP) – Diplomats on Monday began two weeks of negotiations aimed at breathing life into stalled World Trade Organization talks before a major meeting next month. But those attending were told that talks between the United States and the European Union on the crucial issue of agriculture have so far failed to produce agreement.
“They are making progress, but they are not there yet,” a trade official said on condition of anonymity. “Frankly, without them moving on this, there is very little that is going to move elsewhere.”
Negotiators are trying to draft an agreement to be approved by trade ministers from all 146 WTO member countries when they meet Sept. 10-14 in Cancun, Mexico.
The meeting here is a crucial staging post in talks to create a global treaty on opening up markets to international trade – a treaty that is supposed to be completed by the end of next year.
The biggest sticking point is how to handle the liberalization of trade in agricultural products. Big exporters like the United States and Australia are calling for major cuts in farm subsidies and import tariffs that keep their products out of other markets. But less-competitive producers and importers, like the European Union and Japan, say they need some of these measures to support their own farmers and protect rural communities.
Negotiators from Washington and Brussels are holding private discussions to try to settle their differences and had hoped to report back to the other WTO members on Monday, but said they were still talking. Another meeting has been called for Wednesday evening.
“There were intensive talks … over the weekend on the political level,” said EU spokesman Gregor Kreuzhuber. “We are moderately optimistic to reach a kind of agreement by the end of this week.” He refused to elaborate.
The trade official said other countries understood that the private talks were necessary, but were keen to find out what was being discussed.
“Everyone expects them to show leadership, but is also quite reticent of these two behemoths getting together,” the official said.