During day two of the Seventh WTO Ministerial Conference in Geneva, Ministers from Australia and Pakistan called on other WTO member governments for a political push early in the year to conclude the Doha Round Negotiations. They said Ministers should get down to bridging the gaps on outstanding political questions. Some delegations called for a roadmap for future work and India called for discussions on "headline" issues, such as cotton and domestic support in agriculture.
Singapore referred to seven issues that WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy recently highlighted as politically difficult subjects that need to be settled: in agriculture the special safeguard mechanism for developing countries, resolving conflicting proposals over tropical products and products currently enjoying preferences in richer markets, and cotton; in non-agricultural market access bilateral testing of the implications of various flexibilities, and free trade in individual sectors; services; rules, including fisheries subsidies; and intellectual property.
Some speakers envisaged progress being made during meetings of senior officials from members' capitals, already scheduled to take place in Geneva in the week of December 14. Sessions of the various negotiating groups have been organized around these senior officials' meetings.
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