FRANCE: EU AND US MAKE FRESH BID TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES DEEPENING A CRISIS IN GLOBAL FREE TRADE TALKS
Record ID:
646768
FRANCE: EU AND US MAKE FRESH BID TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES DEEPENING A CRISIS IN GLOBAL FREE TRADE TALKS
- Title: FRANCE: EU AND US MAKE FRESH BID TO RESOLVE DIFFERENCES DEEPENING A CRISIS IN GLOBAL FREE TRADE TALKS
- Date: 22nd September 2005
- Summary: (BN13) PARIS, FRANCE (SEPTEMBER 22, 2005) (REUTERS) 1. SLV JOURNALISTS AT TRADE MINISTERS MEETING 0.06 2. SLV/SV/MCU ARRIVAL OF U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE ROB PORTMAN, EU TRADE COMMISSIONER PETER MANDELSON, EU FARM COMMISSIONER MARIAN FISCHER BOEL, AND U.S. AGRICULTURE SECRETARY MIKE JOHANNS (3 SHOTS) 0.27 3. SV TRADE OFFICERS SHAKING HANDS AND POSING FOR PICTURES 0.40 4. SLV JOURNALISTS AT MEETING 0.44 5. MCU (English) U.S. TRADE REPRESENTATIVE ROB PORTMAN SAYING: "We always come close, every time we talk. As Marian says, just the opportunity to exchange views and to have a candid discussion on our limits as well as our ambitions is very helpful. I can tell you that we have come closer, and that as of the last couple of weeks we've been working basically from the same documents with regards to market access, which has not been true up to this point. It is a proposal by the G20 countries; again, it is not one that the US would say is perfect: we had our own proposal that was more ambitious and would have reduced tariffs more dramatically. We think it is very important for the Doha round to do so. The EU on the other end, and Peter can speak about that, has its own position. But the fact is that both of us have moved to this general framework as a starting point and as a result we are having much more constructive conversations." 1.40 6. SV MEDIA 1.45 7. MCU (English) EU TRADE COMMISSIONER PETER MANDELSON SAYING: "We are working from the same starting point in agriculture in a way that had not been done previously. We both moved to a middle ground using the starting point offered by the G20 proposal, but then we will need elaboration. Before you go to numbers, you have got to think through the modalities of how you could take certain parameters and aspirations and convert them into technical working methods to reduce your agricultural tariffs, whilst at the same time providing for a minimum number of sensitive products which the last year's agreement allowed for. The intensity of work has been greater than it has been before and the results are of better quality." 2.47 8. SV JOURNALISTS AND TRADE OFFICIALS AT MEETING (2 SHOTS) 2.58 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 7th October 2005 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: PARIS, FRANCE
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVA8ZXUNYDGS7676XS4IPULV9OT7
- Story Text: EU and US make fresh bid to end trade impasse.
The European Union (EU) and the United States made a
fresh bid on Thursday (September 22,2005) in Paris to resolve
differences deepening a crisis in global free trade talks.
Talks between U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman and
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson in Paris kicked off
three days of intense diplomacy involving developed and
developing country officials, including ministers from
Brazil and India. Negotiations at the 148-state World Trade
Organisation (WTO) were badly stalled and if no
breakthrough came soon, the WTO's Doha Round could
collapse, diplomats had warned.
Both Portman and Mandelson told the press after the
first day of talks in Paris that the negotiations were
moving in the right direction and that at least a common
middle ground had been agreed upon from which further
developments should be attained.
"I can tell you that we have come closer, and that as
of the last couple of weeks we've been working basically from the same
documents with regards to market access,
which has not been true up to this point", said Portman.
WTO chief Pascal Lamy, who join the trade
representatives in Paris, said the WTO needs a clear idea
by the middle of October of the chances of achieving a
draft deal for the round at a ministerial meeting of the
full membership in Hong Kong in December.
Progress between the transatlantic powers in resolving
their differences over agricultural support is key to
clinching a global liberalisation pact.
Without a blueprint in Hong Kong, diplomats believe
there would be little chance of successfully completing the
negotiations, launched in late 2001 to lower barriers to
business and speed economic development in poorer nations.
The main sticking point is agriculture, which is
politically hugely sensitive for both rich and poor nations
even though it makes up a relatively small part of the
global economy.
The signs ahead of the Paris talks had not been good,
with both Brussels and Washington insisting the other must
give ground first if there is to be progress on the key
issues that separate them -- tariffs and domestic farm
support programmes.
But for the EU, and for many developing countries
usually critical of its farm policies, Brussels has already
offered big subsidy cuts through the reform of its Common
Agricultural Policy (CAP) and now it is up to the United
States to move.
Brussels, on the other hand, is under pressure to agree
to open up its farm market by lowering tariffs, something
which many member states, particularly France, oppose
without prior concessions from others.
Without progress in the farm issue, developing
countries say that they are unwilling to negotiate away
tariffs protecting their industries and services.
The U.S.-based Coalition of Service Industries called
for political will to break down barriers in the huge
services sector -- ranging from banking to
telecommunications -- which represents about 68 percent of
global economic activity.
On Friday morning, Mandelson and Portman will be joined
by Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and Indian Trade
Minister Kamal Nath for a session of the so-called Group of
Four, which brings together some of the most influential
WTO states.
The discussions will be broadened later on Friday and
on Saturday, but no longer at ministerial level, to include
a number of other key states, amongst them Australia,
Canada, Switzerland and Argentina.
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