EU trade chief blames US for WTO impasse - by Rex Merrifield
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Europe's trade chief blamed the United States on Friday for a virtual deadlock in global trade negotiations, saying Washington must scale back its demands for sweeping cuts to agriculture tariffs. With time running out for a World Trade Organization (WTO) deal, the European Union, the United States and other trading powers have locked horns over how to cut barriers to commerce, raising fears that the Doha round of negotiations could fail.The Doha round, which is also seeking to cut barriers to international trade in services, was launched in late 2001 to boost the global economy and lift millions out of poverty and should have been wrapped up in 2004.
The talks cannot drag on beyond July or there will not be enough time to finalize all the detail before U.S. presidential powers to negotiate trade deals lapse in 2007, diplomats say.
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