The trade facilitation text of a potential multilateral...
The trade facilitation text of a potential multilateral World Trade Organization package targeted by WTO officials for the upcoming Bali ministerial summit is proving an insurmountable obstacle, as negotiators have failed to develop consensus in recent days, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo…
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told the Trade Negotiations Committee in Geneva Tuesday. Trade officials should not aim for progress during the Dec. 3-6 Bali summit, he said in a news release (http://bit.ly/1dBhEnb). “Holding negotiations in the short time we'll have in Bali would be simply impractical with over 100 ministers around the table,” said Azevêdo. “I don’t believe that small negotiating meetings behind locked doors would do the trick either. Anyway, they are not an option. Even at this critical juncture, I don’t believe members would be ready to abandon the transparent and inclusive nature of our negotiations.” U.S. Ambassador to the WTO Michael Punke echoed that Tuesday, saying more time will not benefit the process because the political will to advance a package has faltered (CD Nov 27 p15). Trade negotiators made more progress in the “past few weeks than we have over the past five years,” said Azevêdo. He encouraged negotiators and ministers to continue work in the weeks following the Bali summit.