US top trade official upbeat on progress after talks with WTO head
2007-01-12

Category Trade Tariffs World Trade Organization Nations Switzerland Brazil U.S. City Geneva

Washington's top trade official said she was more optimistic than in recent months that global trading partners were making progress toward a successful outcome to the Doha round of trade talks.

US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said progress was "absolutely" being made, although she cautioned that a breakthrough was still not imminent.

"Are we near a breakthrough? No, we've got a long way to go for a breakthrough. Are we making progress? Absolutely, we're making progress," Schwab told journalists after talks with the director general of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy.

"While it's too early to tell if we'll succeed, I personally am more optimistic than I have been in many months that we are on a path that could enable us to reach a successful conclusion to the Doha round," Schwab said. Her talks with Lamy in Geneva followed similar meetings over the past week with European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, as well as the Japanese and Brazilian trade ministers.

Talks will continue at a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos later this month, and Schwab reiterated her hope that a deal could be done "sooner rather than later."

The Doha Round, launched in the Qatari capital in November 2001, is aimed at reducing tariffs, subsidies and other barriers to global commerce in order to boost development in the world's poorest countries.

Agricultural subsidies and market access are key sticking points in the Doha round of trade talks, which have foundered badly since their launch.

The WTO suspended the process last July after negotiators from six major countries, including the United States, EU, Brazil and India, failed to reach agreement after a five-year effort.

Developing countries want lower tariffs on their agricultural exports to US and European markets while industrialized nations seek greater access to developing and emerging nations for their industrial services and goods.