Aaron
Well-known member
WTO agrees draft on farm reform
Sunday, December 18, 2005 Posted: 0842 GMT
HONG KONG, China -- A final draft of a World Trade Organization agreement has proposed Sunday that all nations end agricultural export subsidies by 2013 in a breakthrough that paves the way for an agreement from the six-day talks, The Associated Press reports.
The revised draft, coming after all-night negotiations between delegates of key member nations, also calls on wealthy nations to allow duty-free and quota-free privileges to at least 97 percent of products exported by the so-called least developed countries by 2008, AP says.
In addition, the draft retained an earlier proposal that rich countries eliminate all export subsidies on cotton in 2006, AP reported.
Earlier Sunday, the EU had suggested 2013 as the possible date to end the subsidies. Brazil, the United States and some developing countries maintained that year was too far away, and would rather end the subsidies by 2010.
"We've been under intense pressure this week to agree on an end date for phasing out our export subsidies, and we came up with a proposal last night for 2013," said Michael Mann, EU spokesman for agriculture and rural development.
Sunday is the sixth and last day of the WTO's ministerial-level meetings in Hong Kong. Delegates for 149 countries have gathered in Hong Kong.
Developing countries have demanded that richer nations lower trade barriers.
The talks have been marked by debate between the EU and the United States.
"We put on the table, not just the most aggressive proposal in terms of cutting subsidies, but the only proposal on the table that actually eliminates subsidies," U.S. trade representative Rob Portman told CNN.
While the negotiators struggled, disagreement also brewed in the street outside the talks, in the worst protests Hong Kong has seen in decades.
After warning hundreds of protesters paralyzing the city center for hours to leave the streets outside the talks, riot police moved in early Sunday to disperse the crowd.
Sunday, December 18, 2005 Posted: 0842 GMT
HONG KONG, China -- A final draft of a World Trade Organization agreement has proposed Sunday that all nations end agricultural export subsidies by 2013 in a breakthrough that paves the way for an agreement from the six-day talks, The Associated Press reports.
The revised draft, coming after all-night negotiations between delegates of key member nations, also calls on wealthy nations to allow duty-free and quota-free privileges to at least 97 percent of products exported by the so-called least developed countries by 2008, AP says.
In addition, the draft retained an earlier proposal that rich countries eliminate all export subsidies on cotton in 2006, AP reported.
Earlier Sunday, the EU had suggested 2013 as the possible date to end the subsidies. Brazil, the United States and some developing countries maintained that year was too far away, and would rather end the subsidies by 2010.
"We've been under intense pressure this week to agree on an end date for phasing out our export subsidies, and we came up with a proposal last night for 2013," said Michael Mann, EU spokesman for agriculture and rural development.
Sunday is the sixth and last day of the WTO's ministerial-level meetings in Hong Kong. Delegates for 149 countries have gathered in Hong Kong.
Developing countries have demanded that richer nations lower trade barriers.
The talks have been marked by debate between the EU and the United States.
"We put on the table, not just the most aggressive proposal in terms of cutting subsidies, but the only proposal on the table that actually eliminates subsidies," U.S. trade representative Rob Portman told CNN.
While the negotiators struggled, disagreement also brewed in the street outside the talks, in the worst protests Hong Kong has seen in decades.
After warning hundreds of protesters paralyzing the city center for hours to leave the streets outside the talks, riot police moved in early Sunday to disperse the crowd.
