WTO boss says trade talks must gain pace

[Joanne98]

WTO boss says trade talks must gain pace
Tuesday Mar 13 07:07 AEDT
Global trade talks must gather speed to grab the "window of opportunity" that closes by end of June, World Trade Organisation chief Pascal Lamy says.

Top trade representatives from the United States, the European Union, India and Brazil met in London and Geneva earlier this month in their first talks since negotiations resumed after a six month suspension in July.

But Indian representatives said the United States must start giving some hard numbers in negotiations to push the global trade talks to meet the June 30 deadline.

Talks were halted after leading nations failed to agree on farm subsidies and tariffs.

"Time is not on our side and many WTO members are becoming impatient," Lamy told a seminar in the Indian capital.

"We need to speed up the process so as to grasp the window of opportunity which closes by the end of June with the expiry of the US Trade Promotion Authority."

He said there was greater political backing from leading members to finalise the negotiations and wrap up the round, which is a test for WTO's credibility and its ability to deliver on its promise to developing nations.

More than 100 protesters were detained as they demonstrated outside the hotel where Lamy was attending a seminar on "Saving Doha", activists said.

Angry protesters shouted anti-WTO slogans before being herded into buses and taken to a police station, they said.

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=254247

It's interesting to note that the people in every country in the world HATE globalization but the LEADERS love it.

[Selatius]

1. It's because big business has a lot of money to buy governments and politicians

We only need to look at our own government to see the painful truth.

[Joanne98]

2. Ain't that the truth.