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Journalism of Courage
Global free trade talks collapsed today after nearly five years of on-off haggling. Resuming them could take years. The suspension of the World Trade Organisation8217;s WTO Doha round came after major trading powers failed in a last ditch bid to overcome differences on reforming world farm trade.
8216;8216;The WTO negotiations are suspended,8217;8217; Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath told journalists. When asked how long the suspension could last, he replied: 8216;8216;Anywhere from months to years.8217;8217;
Lamy had warned members of the so-called G6 late on Sunday that he would halt the Doha
Development Agenda8212;launched in 2001 to ease poverty and boost the global economy8212;in the absence of a quick end to the deadlock.
But 14 hours of talks between the six8212;the US, European Union, Brazil, Australia, Japan and India8212;yielded no breakthrough in slashing farm subsidies and lowering agricultural tariffs. The US said the EU and other WTO members that it calls 8216;8216;protectionist8217;8217; had not done enough to lower farm tariff barriers to allow it to move further on subsidies.
But EU Trade Commission Peter Mandelson pointed a finger at the US, telling journalists Washington 8216;8216;was unwilling to accept or indeed to acknowledge the flexibility shown by others8217;8217;. Despite the debacle, all members of the G6 said that they remained committed to the multilateral trading system and to completing the Doha round, even if they could not say how or when the negotiations could be revived.
8216;8216;It is a big failure. Whether it is going to be definitive only time will tell,8217;8217; said EU Agriculture Commission Mariann Fischer Boel.
8211;EEB
