Pacific rim chiefs call for global trade talks
Reuters, Pucon, Chile
Trade leaders from 21 countries around the Pacific, who represent almost half of world trade, tried to give global trade talks a jolt on Saturday with a strong statement supporting a key July deadline to put together an outline for further negotiations.Top trade officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum, which includes China, the United States and 19 other countries, met in the southern Chile resort town of Pucon on Friday and Saturday. In a stand-alone statement apart from other agenda items, the ministers urged WTO negotiators in Geneva to include in their framework agreement for further trade talks a deadline for abolishing all agriculture export subsidies. Export subsidies and other farm protections gummed up world trade talks -- currently in the so-called Doha round -- last year. "The meeting has given a very important push on the Doha Agenda as we enter the closing lap of this effort to try to achieve the agreement on the negotiating frameworks by July," said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick at a news conference at the conclusion of the meeting. Last year, developing nations led by Brazil balked at moving ahead with world trade talks, demanding rich countries give up hefty protections for their farmers, but the round was revived this year when the European Union offered to eliminate agriculture export subsidies if others do so. The Apec trade summit came at a critical time ahead of a July 27 meeting of the 147 ambassadors to the WTO when they want to complete the outline for global trade agreements that will then be fleshed out in negotiations next year. Trade leaders have set the July deadline because the coming U.S. elections will make the second half of the year a dead time for trade talks. Asian trade officials said countries in the region were showing greater flexibility on tough agricultural issues. "Japan also showed their flexibility. Korea is also showing greater flexibility," Korean Minister of Trade Hwang Doo-Yun told Reuters, although he said Korea was still concerned about opening its market more to agricultural imports. In their statement, the Apec economies said they directed their officials to work on flexible approaches to opening the doors to more agricultural imports, and substantial reductions of trade-distorting domestic support.
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