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U.S. Rejects Mexico Plan For Doha Trade Deal

The United States rejected a Mexican government proposal to break the deadlock in long-stalled world trade talks Feb. 4, saying it failed to achieve the amount of new market opening needed for a deal. Trade ministers agreed last week to push for an outline deal in the decade-old talks by July, and instruct their negotiators

Another Push For WTO Deal In Play

Trading powers who have embarked on an intensified push for a new trade deal sought by political leaders must go faster if they are to have any hope of finishing the Doha round this year, the head of the WTO said Feb. 2. Trade ministers meeting in the Swiss resort of Davos last week agreed


Speed up Doha talks, WTO chief tells members

Trading powers who have embarked on an intensified push for a new trade deal sought by political leaders must go faster if they are to have any hope of finishing the Doha round this year, the head of the World Trade Organization said Wednesday. Trade ministers meeting in the Swiss resort of Davos last week

More Effort Needed To Break Doha Impasse

Ministers from major trading powers decided May 27 to redouble efforts for a deal in the stalled Doha round, arguing that opening up global trade would boost the world economy without hitting budgets. They acknowledged the 8-1/2-year-old Doha round was at an impasse and that serious negotiations – away from the glare of the media

WTO Members Behind In Their Books

Most members of the World Trade Organization are years behind in providing data about farm subsidies, essential to see whether they are sticking to agreements, an internal WTO document shows. The document, prepared by the WTO secretariat for a meeting on Wednesday of its agriculture committee, which monitors adherence to agreements, shows that 81 of


Green Box Subsidies Can Also Distort Trade

Efforts to overhaul agricultural support in rich countries are increasingly under challenge for failing to remove the unfair distortions in global trade that they purport to eliminate, a new study says. The study by agriculture and trade economists, published by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), questions the thrust of farm negotiations

U. S. Blocks Canada/Mexico Call For WTO Panel In Meat Row

The United States has blocked requests by Canada and Mexico for World Trade Organization experts to examine new U. S. labelling rules that the two U. S. neighbours say are hurting their meat exports. Both Canada and Mexico told the WTO’s dispute settlement body that U. S. country-of-origin-labelling (COOL) rules – requiring meat sold in

Gloom, Frustration Mark Doha Talks

Gloomy negotiators are expressing frustration at the lack of progress in the World Trade Organization’s Doha round, even as they hold an intensive series of meetings intended to secure a breakthrough. “We have a credibility problem… these are lean times,” said the ambassador of one emerging country, as he left a meeting of key delegations


U. S. Wants New WTO Process

Big emerging countries like China, India, Brazil and South Africa must do more to open their markets to secure a new global trade deal, the U. S. trade chief said May 13. U. S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, who took up his job in March, was speaking after two days of intense talks with U.

International Trade Helps Solve Food Crisis

International trade is part of the solution to the global food crisis and not one of its causes, the head of the World Trade Organization says. Global integration represented by trade enabled food to be transported from where it could be produced efficiently to where there was demand, said WTO Director General Pascal Lamy. Geography