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WTO: 2008 PRESS RELEASES

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Lamy says new negotiating texts set stage for crucial July talks

Director-General Pascal Lamy said today revised negotiating texts in agriculture and industrial goods trade which were released today have helped prepare the ground for crucial Doha Development Round negotiations in those two areas in the days ahead.

He said the new documents, from Agriculture Negotiating Group Chair Crawford Falconer and Non-Agricultural Market Access Committee Chair Don Stephenson, illustrate clearly where progress among WTO Members has been made and where differences need to be bridged. These texts are the third revisions of the negotiating documents which were first produced in July 2007.

“These revised texts set the stage for a decisive moment in the Doha round. Ministers and other senior officials will soon arrive for intensive negotiations the week of 21 July. They need negotiating documents which are clear and precise as they consider the complex issues of agriculture and industrial goods trade. These texts go a very long way in that direction. These negotiations have been long and tough but the prize awaiting us should we reach agreement is worth the effort. A deal to open trade in agriculture and goods means more growth, better prospects for development and a more stable and predictable trading system. We must not let this opportunity slip through our fingers,” Mr. Lamy said.

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