4th Ministerial, Doha 2001

For Amorim and the other negotiators from developing countries that have been run over by the rich world in trade talks for the past 50 years, this page has two words: Stand fast.

Top WTO negotiators said they had failed to bridge key differences on a global trade accord in talks this week and acknowledged that the scope of a crucial ministerial meeting in Hong Kong next month would have to be scaled back.

A Mini-Ministerial meeting was under way at the WTO this afternoon in an attempt by the Director-General Pascal Lamy to provide some political momentum to the faltering preparatory process for the Hong Kong Ministerial conference in mid-December.

Most members of Congress do not think much at all of the ongoing Doha Development Agenda of trade negotiations and when they hear that the United States is getting little of what it is demanding in agricultural and industrial products market access, they think even less of it

The five trade ministers from the United States, the European Union, India, Brazil and Japan who met here in an effort to reach a breakthrough in the stalled Doha Development Agenda trade negotiations practiced diplomatic 'brinkmanship' and restated 'inflexible' positions, but ended on a 'disappointing' note leaving attainment of the full modalities in agriculture and industrial goods trade for next month

Trade ministers appeared ready on Tuesday to discuss lowering expectations for a World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting next month because their differences are too wide.