SEE ALSO:
> Press releases
> WTO news archives
> Pascal
Lamy’s speeches
“Ambassadors Falconer and Stephenson have held countless consultations across
the WTO membership in recent months seeking the compromises that will unlock
agreements in agriculture and industrial goods trade. The papers reflect the
progress that has been achieved so far. The chairmen are to be commended.
Finding such compromise is always difficult and no delegation will get all it
wants. But these texts are representative of members’ views and constitute a
fair and reasonable basis for reaching ambitious, balanced and
development-oriented agreements. These are negotiating instruments which will be
revised and adjusted as governments continue to narrow their differences,” Mr
Lamy said.
“Members will not be fully satisfied with the texts. But what separates members
today is smaller than what unites them. There is already an impressive package
on the table. In the weeks to come it is essential that members focus efforts
into overcoming those differences and reach agreement in the two sectors that
hold the key to success in the Doha round,” Mr. Lamy added.
The texts, which were distributed today, will be taken up by the 150 WTO member
governments in negotiating sessions next week. The Doha round, which was
launched in the Qatari capital in 2001, involves numerous other negotiations
including trade in services, trade and environment, anti-dumping, fishery
subsidies, specific development issues, trade related intellectual property and
trade facilitation.
In the years since the round was launched, member governments have, among other
things, already agreed to eliminate all forms of export subsidies in
agriculture, to remove barriers to trade on 97% of least developed country
exports, to reduce the highest agriculture and manufacturing tariffs by the
widest margins and to reduce red tape and bureaucratic delay in customs
procedures. Among the differences that remain to be resolved in the agriculture
and NAMA negotiations are the precise magnitude of tariff cuts, reductions in
trade distorting domestic farm subsidies and the degree of flexibility to be
extended to developing countries in opening their markets to greater competition
from imports.
> Agriculture text
> NAMA text
> News item: Farm and
non-farm talks’ chairs circulate revised blueprints of final deal
> Problems viewing this page?
Please contact [email protected] giving details of the operating system and web browser you are using.