Farm Bureau, business groups decry lack of Doha progress
May 02, 2011 | 03:30 PM | Filed in: Trade
The American Farm Bureau Federation joined other U.S. business groups today in a statement expressing regret on the lack of progress with the Doha round of talks, urging rethinking and stating their continued support for the World Trade Organization.
WTO Director General Pascal Lamy last week said that the talks are on the brink of failure.
Lamy urged members to try to advance the process, and said he will make another report on May 31. He noted that although some delegates have expressed concern that the agriculture situation has changed too much to make negotiations made to date meaningful, the immediate problem is lack of progress in industrial tariffs.
“We deeply regret that the WTO Doha Development Agenda trade round has not yet been able to achieve its intended objective of promoting world economic growth by expanding trade," the groups said in today’s statement.
The statement noted that although the U.S. manufacturing, services, and agriculture communities have worked on an agreement to open markets since 2001, the current proposal is not sufficient.
“We believe that what is currently on the table in Geneva lacks balance and ambition. According to the participants in the negotiations, the gaps in services, agriculture and manufactured goods appear to be unbridgeable under current circumstances," the group said. "Real change in the substantive direction of the negotiations is the way the round will produce meaningful results, an objective we continue to strongly support.”
"We continue to maintain strong confidence in the WTO as an institution, its system of rules, and its role as a bulwark for open trade and against protectionism as proven by the recent financial crisis,” the group concluded. “We encourage the United States and all WTO members to devote their energy to finding a productive, trade-expanding direction for the Doha Round and the multilateral trading system.
The statement was signed by:
Members confront Doha Round deadlock with pledge to seek meaningful way out
Lamy opens Geneva Week for non-resident members and observers
WTO Director General Pascal Lamy last week said that the talks are on the brink of failure.
Lamy urged members to try to advance the process, and said he will make another report on May 31. He noted that although some delegates have expressed concern that the agriculture situation has changed too much to make negotiations made to date meaningful, the immediate problem is lack of progress in industrial tariffs.
“We deeply regret that the WTO Doha Development Agenda trade round has not yet been able to achieve its intended objective of promoting world economic growth by expanding trade," the groups said in today’s statement.
The statement noted that although the U.S. manufacturing, services, and agriculture communities have worked on an agreement to open markets since 2001, the current proposal is not sufficient.
“We believe that what is currently on the table in Geneva lacks balance and ambition. According to the participants in the negotiations, the gaps in services, agriculture and manufactured goods appear to be unbridgeable under current circumstances," the group said. "Real change in the substantive direction of the negotiations is the way the round will produce meaningful results, an objective we continue to strongly support.”
"We continue to maintain strong confidence in the WTO as an institution, its system of rules, and its role as a bulwark for open trade and against protectionism as proven by the recent financial crisis,” the group concluded. “We encourage the United States and all WTO members to devote their energy to finding a productive, trade-expanding direction for the Doha Round and the multilateral trading system.
The statement was signed by:
- American Farm Bureau Federation
- Business Roundtable
- Coalition of Service Industries
- Emergency Committee for American Trade
- National Association of Manufacturers
- National Foreign Trade Council
- United States Chamber of Commerce
- United States Council for International Business
From the World Trade Organization
Members confront Doha Round deadlock with pledge to seek meaningful way out
Lamy opens Geneva Week for non-resident members and observers
