World Trade Organization Calls Trade Agreements a Distraction
Bilateral agreements popular with Bush Administration may be undermining talks.
Compiled by staff
Published: Mar 24, 2006
Those free-trade agreements and other bilateral agreements that the Bush Administration has been aggressively pursuing in recent years could be a distraction to World Trade Organization talks, according to a Bloomberg report. In a 134-page analysis of U.S. trade policy released late Thursday in Geneva, the WTO claims those agreements may be undermining talks to lower trade barriers globally.
The WTO's 149 member countries are working to meet an April 30 deadline to set an outline for cutting ag subsidies and reducing trade tariffs. This is the third deadline extension for the Doha Round talks (named for Doha Qatar where the talks began). According to the report, the United States had three FTAs in place when President Bush took office and has since entered agreements with nine nations; and is negotiating with five more.
According to the Bloomberg story, U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman calls the trade deals a strategy of "complementary liberalization" that he says isn't intended to undermine the WTO.
As for the talks themselves, Reuters is reporting some progress - slow but steady - this week as negotiators work to hammer out the details. Food aid is an area where progress occurred with Africa offering up a new plan. And Japan, the European Union and other countries that had labeled some products as "sensitive" are offering some options as well.
There are a number of issues yet to be cleared before the deadline; and since this is the third time it's been pushed back many observers are wary of predicting an outcome.
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