Publicité
WTO hopes for breakthrough to secure trade pact
Par
Partager cet article
WTO hopes for breakthrough to secure trade pact
The World Trade Organisation needs to get breakthrough agreements on agriculture and industrial goods at a ministerial meeting in December if it is to conclude a new trade pact next year, a spokesman said yesterday. The WT0 aims to complete the current round of trade talks, known as the Doha Development Agenda, by the end of next year. “If we can reach agreement on modalities that would be a big breakthrough that would make reaching an agreement in 2006 a lot easier,” WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell told a press briefing in Hong Kong, where the ministerial meeting will be held. “Agriculture and Non-agricultural market access are complex and time consuming. They could take a year, that’s why we need to get agreement in Hong Kong,” he said.
Non-agricultural market access (Nama) covers industrial goods. Talks on agriculture and Nama were progressing, however, unlike discussions on services, which could be a major stumbling block to a final trade pact, Rockwell said. The World Bank has estimated the success of the talks could give a US$500 billion-a-year boost to the global economy by lowering barriers to business ranging from farm goods to telecommunications and tourism. A trade pact can only be concluded if framework deals, known as modalities, are agreed upon for all sectors.
Agriculture, Nama and services were key because many governments tended to wait for agreements on those sectors before they were willing to move on other areas of discussion, Rockwell said. Key trading states cleared a major obstacle to completing the Doha round last month, when they resolved a disagreement over agricultural import tariffs.
But some trade leaders such as the European Union have expressed dissatisfaction that those negotiations have only focused on one aspect of tariff-cutting and said progress was needed in all areas, including export aid and domestic subsidies. Further progress needs to be made at a general council meeting scheduled for July 29, Rockwell said.
Publicité
Publicité
Les plus récents
