Bush And Blair Want To Restart Global Trade Meeting

The two leaders of the world's powerful nations metMeanwhile, US said that India and EU were not
recently in an attempt to restart the Doha round ofprepared to give other nations admission to their
global trade meeting. United Kingdom Leader Tonyeconomy and markets.
Blair and United States President George W. Bush hadBlair said that he hasn't given up about the WTO
a closed door meeting in Washington last July 28 toglobal trade round yet. The British leader is still a
see if they can revive the stalled talks that startedstrong advocate of the WTO negotiations that will
five years ago in Doha. Blair revealed in an interviewpossibly help alleviate poverty in poor countries. His
that both leaders have decided to take into actionspokesman also said that Blair will be speaking with
their one final endeavor to rejuvenate the globalthe trade leaders who were present in the wordwide
trade talks.conference.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting held inCelso Amorim, Brazillian Prime Minister and Susan
Geneva last July 24 was designed for global tradeSchwab, US Trade Representative have been
leaders from various countries to meet and settlemeeting in Rio De Janeiro to see if they can unfreeze
the problems regarding poverty and flunkingthe stalled talks within eight months. Schwab said
economies of the third world countries. The WTO isthat both the US and Brazil are main members of the
a worldwide body whose aim is to promote freeWTO and they hope to lead the effort of reviving
trade by persuading countries to abolish import tariffsthe Doha round. She also said that the meeting
and other barriers.between the two countries is their first step in their
But the meeting failed to reach a solid decision whenplan to restart the WTO meeting. Both trade leaders
the trade leaders failed to settle their clashes overwere hoping to get a solid agreement over global
agricultural subsidies and tariffs, hindering endeavorstrade to minimize farm subsidies and open the
to achieve a global market-opening agreement. Duringworldwide market to other countries. She added that
the aftermath of the global trade negotiation, thetrade leaders from other members of the WTO will
European Union (EU) and the US were throwinghopefully support them.
counter charges over who to accuse about theOther countries like Australia already expressed its
meeting's failure. On one hand, US blamed the EU forinterest in restarting the global trade meeting, but it
its failure to fulfill its pledges in opening its markets.hasn't given a definite schedule as to when it would
On the other hand, EU accused the US for inflexibilitypush through again. A newspaper in the said country
and for its declension to give ground over farmrevealed that Australia will look for a way to restart
subsidies. India and EU said that the US had asked athe free global trade negotiations in a meeting that is
high cost for cutting almost $US20 billion that thescheduled in September. Several countries were
country uses on agricultural subsidies yearly.invited to the September meeting.