GENEVA, Switzerland – Rich and developing states gave a cool reception Aug. 25 to a plan for kick-starting stalled world trade talks, but stopped short of rejecting it altogether.
The plan, drawn up by Uruguayan ambassador Carlos Perez del Castillo, with the backing of World Trade Organization chief Supachai Panitchpakdi, seeks to bridge wide gaps, not just between developed and developing states but also within the two camps, on issues ranging from farm reform to industrial tariffs and services.
Calling the plan flawed, several trade envoys said that if it was modified, it could serve as a basis for further negotiations at a crucial meeting in Cancun, Mexico, next month.
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“It is flawed but not fundamentally flawed,” said European Union chief negotiator Peter Carl. “It is unbalanced,” he told journalists.
Agricultural reform lies at the heart of WTO negotiations on lowering barriers to trade across the globe. But disagreements still run deep just two weeks before the Sept. 10-14 gathering that could decide the fate of the Doha Round of free trade talks.
“The great majority (of countries exporting agricultural products) are disappointed with this document. There is a great deal of frustration,” said one trade envoy from a Latin American country.
But Perez del Castillo, who put forward his blueprint after two weeks of intense negotiations in Geneva, warned that there was little time for further revisions before the Mexican summit.
“This text goes as far as I judge is possible in the Geneva process,” he said, referring to the latest round of talks in the Swiss city.
On farm trade, Perez del Castillo sought to balance demands of major exporting states.
