Lamy requests members to break deadlock soon over Doha round WTO talks
03 Jul '06
4 min read
Asked whether he will produce a draft text, he replied that there is enough text on the table — what is needed is numbers.
Members' comments In the informal and formal meeting, members supported the proposal for the director-general to mediate, some stressing that the process should be “bottom-up”, transparent, inclusive and based on the chairs' drafts.
Some emphasized the need for major players, particularly the G-6 to show leadership by moving towards consensus first. Several said they had come to Geneva ready to negotiate and were disappointed that major players did not move.
Others stressed their view that the consultations should not focus only on the G-6, and that all major issues should be covered, not only the “triangle” of market access and domestic support in agriculture and industrial market access.
Many countries stressed the issues that concern them most, from the desire for an ambitious outcome, to an agreement that contains flexibility for the vulnerable. Either way, these members said their objectives were for “development”.
One developing country blamed the deadlock partly on divergent views about the meaning of “development” itself. Some see trade as causing factories to close and workers to lose jobs, while others see it as the engine of growth, this country observed.
Some argued that despite the continuing deadlock, the differences are narrow enough for agreement to be within reach.
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.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Telangana State Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TSllC Ltd)")
.jpg?tr=w-120,h-60,c-at_max,cm-pad_resize,bg-ffffff "Taiwan Textile Federation (TTF)")
