U.S., Brazilian negotiatiors to discuss Doha in Rome
Posted by Truth About Trade & Technology
Tuesday, 13 May 2008
Reuters
Washington (Reuters) - U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab will meet Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim in Rome to discuss global trade talks, which negotiators hope to push toward a conclusion in the next several weeks.
The officials from two of the Doha round's leading players will hold talks in the Italian capital after Schwab attends a U.S.-European trade meeting in Brussels on Tuesday, Schwab's office said on Monday.
The meeting will center on the World Trade Organization talks, according to Gretchen Hamel, a Schwab spokeswoman.
Trade officials are hoping to push past a long-standing impasse on agriculture in the talks in order to clinch a deal before the end of the year or by the time President George W. Bush leaves office.
Last week, Schwab said the next four to six weeks would be critical, and pressed advanced developing countries such as Brazil and India to make major concessions in opening their markets to foreign goods.
Schwab and Indian Trade Minister Kamal Nath discussed the round last week in New York.
Agriculture has been the most troublesome issue in the Doha talks, which have been moving in fits and starts since they began in 2001.
But farm trade is by no means the only obstacle to reaching a deal in the talks, which also cover industrial trade, services, and trade rules.
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