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The progress has been “incremental” and he will call another meeting in the week of 9 June, giving delegations time to consult among themselves and bring the results to the negotiation, he said. (The objective now is to sort out technical differences and simplify political options as members prepare for upcoming negotiations combining agriculture with non-agricultural market access and other subjects.)

SEE ALSO:
> Agriculture negotiations news
> More on the modalities phase

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Use these links to download audio files or to listen to what Ambassador Falconer said in the meeting.

This meeting

This was an informal agriculture negotiations meeting of the full membership, officially an “Informal Open-Ended Special Session” of the Agriculture Committee.

The latest text and a number of related issues are explained here, including what “the text” is and says, and a “jargon buster”.

The chairperson refers to “Room E” or “Room D” meetings. These are talks among a group of 37 representative delegations, also part of the “multilateral process”. They normally take place in Room E at the WTO headquarters, but sometimes in another room (eg, Room D). Ultimately, the current phase of the negotiations is about “modalities”, explained here.

THE STORY SO FAR

2000: Agriculture negotiations launched (March). See backgrounder 2001: Doha Development Agenda launched. Agriculture included (November) 2004: “Framework” agreed (August) 2005: Further agreements in Hong Kong Ministerial Conference (December) 2006: Draft modalities (June) 2007: Revised draft modalities (July) 2007–2008: Intensive negotiations with working documents (September-January) 2008: Revised draft modalities (February and May)

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