Pacific Rim Chiefs Urge on Global Talks

[Dover]

PUCON, Chile (Reuters) - Trade leaders from 21 countries around the Pacific, who represent almost half of world trade, tried to give global trade talks a jolt on Saturday with a strong statement supporting a key July deadline to put together an outline for further negotiations.

Top trade officials from the Asia-Pacific Economic Forum, which includes China, the United States and 19 other countries, met in the southern Chile resort town of Pucon on Friday and Saturday.

In a stand-alone statement apart from other agenda items, the ministers urged WTO negotiators in Geneva to include in their framework agreement for further trade talks a deadline for abolishing all agriculture export subsidies.

Export subsidies and other farm protections gummed up world trade talks -- currently in the so-called Doha round -- last year.

"The meeting has given a very important push on the Doha Agenda as we enter the closing lap of this effort to try to achieve the agreement on the negotiating frameworks by July," said U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick at a news conference at the conclusion of the meeting....Cont'd >

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