World Trade Organisation (WTO) countries on Thursday showed no major signs of shifting from long-held positions in their first multilateral negotiations devoted to farm reform at a key ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico, WTO spokesperson Keith Rockwell said.
”I would characterise the discussion as being one in which there were really no alterations, or shifts or changes of any great magnitude at all based on what we’ve been hearing in Geneva for the past few months,” he told reporters.
Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry George Yeo, tasked with trying to bridge gaps on agricultural trade during the five-day gathering, hopes to release fresh draft proposals late on Friday.
The draft wording is likely to contain elements of other proposed texts already distributed by various members or groupings within the World Trade Organisation, he added.
But Yeo acknowledged that any new draft wording would contain so-called square brackets, indicating elements that have not been agreed by all the members.
Although Yeo said he had seen some indications of flexibility from delegations, he also reported that ”delegations are still playing their poker cards close to their vests.”
”He said he hopes to see members bridging their gaps tomorrow,” Rockwell added, following an initial meeting of the working group on agriculture here late Thursday.
Agriculture is the most controversial issue facing ministers at the WTO conference, which has been called to salvage a new global trade pact scheduled for completion by January 1 2005.
Member countries of the Geneva-based body differ widely on the extent and pace of subsidy reductions for farmers, as well as over cuts in tariffs and on tackling export subsidies. — Sapa-AFP