WTO chief warns of danger in run-up to Dec 15 meet
AFP, Geneva
WTO chief Supachai Panitchpakdi warned of "danger" Tuesday if countries failed to commit themselves to making progress before a meeting on December 15 to revive global trade talks, while the European Union indicated more time might be needed to achieve real headway. The director general and Carlos Perez del Castillo, chairman of the WTO's top executive body, have been consulting individual countries since the so-called Doha Development Agenda stalled in Cancun, Mexico in September. At a gathering of delegates at World Trade Organisation headquarters in Geneva on Tuesday, Castillo said he felt member states were willing to address key issues such as farm subsidies in richer countries and high tariffs on agriculture imports from developing nations. But he admitted there was much work to do and suggested the December 15 meeting -- called by ministers after the failure in Cancun -- should be seen as a stepping stone rather than a deadline for progress. "I see danger in the present situation, as a reflex reaction to what happened in Cancun, of reverting to previous tactical positions and re-erecting all our defences," Supachai told the meeting. "It is always easier to say 'no' than to find a path to 'yes', particularly in a very complex undertaking and in a very complex organisation such as ours. "But we must go forwards not backwards," he said. Everyone appeared committed to liberalising global trade, but this desire must be translated "into concrete progress in the negotiations," Supachai continued. "Our collective task here is to find that elusive path towards agreement and consensus."
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