10/24/05 Trade talks waiting on E.U.

10/24/05 Trade talks waiting on E.U.

Farm and Ranch October 24, 2005 U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman and U.S. Ag Secretary Mike Johanns left Geneva empty handed after last week's talks in the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations. The problem, the E.U. and market access. So Secretary Johanns says the fate of the trade talks are in the hands of the European Union. Johanns: "The success of these talks now depend upon the ability to move market access and that really depends upon the European Union and their willingness to open up their markets. Not just to the United States. We are only one player in this world economy but to the whole world where the greatest benefit from the Doha round will come from market access. So the ball really is very much in the court of the European Union." Both Portman and Johanns noted that Japan, a highly trade protectionist country, has put forth a more ambitious proposal than the Europeans. And its not just the U.S. criticizing the E.U. Brazil, a leader of the undeveloped nations has also been critical of the E.U. on market access. Trade Representative Portman says the U.S. has little with which to sweeten the pot, having already put all its cards on the negotiating table. And the clock is ticking. WTO Director General Pascal Lamy has said if a breakthrough isn't achieved by the end of this week, the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting set for December in Hong Kong will likely end in failure. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.
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