Attempts by the World Trade Organisation to broker a sweeping liberalization of world trade won't succeed without a new approach at December's WTO meetings in Geneva.
The Doha Round of WTO negotiations began in 2001 with the aim of reforming international trade by lowering trade barriers and revising trade rules.
However, the negotiations have become bogged down as participating countries have been unable to agree on ways to achieve that.
The Cairns Group, consisting of 19 member countries but not the United States, is meeting to brainstorm ways of resolving the Doha impasse. But Punke said WTO members should instead admit Doha hasn't worked and start looking at other steps.
Punke's comments come as U.S. business interests have debated whether a broad trade breakthrough is possible through the WTO.
A Cairns Group source told Reuters this week that developing countries like China and India have not offered sufficient market access to foreign manufacturers that would entice the United States and European Union to lower their rich farm subsidies - a key target of the Doha talks.
Cairns meetings wrap up on Friday. The group's members, who include Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina and other countries, represent more than one-quarter of the world's agricultural and farmmachinery trade.
没有评论:
发表评论