WTO powers secure no breakthrough at talks in Brazil

Officials from the European Union (EU), the United States and Brazil failed to achieve a breakthrough in global trade talks which ended here Saturday, with representatives saying the process "inched" forward.

Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said the gathering, which came after last month's largely unfruitful meetings in London and Geneva, said no important headway had been made, but added that the three sides came to a better understanding of the difficulties facing the trade negotiations.

"We did not get to any specifics. We identified our differences," Amorim said.

The meeting had been aimed at overcoming differences on cutting tariffs on farm and manufactured goods, a vital part of the WTO Doha Round.

If trade problems couldn't be solved, warned the Brazilian minister, more complex problems such as terrorism, nuclear proliferation and drug-trafficking would prove to be much harder to tackle.

At a news conference following the talks, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson said, "We do not have yet the contours of a deal, but neither do we have an empty canvas."

Mandelson added it's still possible to meet the WTO's self-imposed April 30 deadline. "There is a possibility of agreeing on these modalities by the end of April," he said.

Although seeing no concrete fruits from the negotiations, U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman said, "I believe we inched closer to resolution."

"We didn't always agree but we agreed we need to keep trying," he said.

Launched in the Qatari capital of Doha in 2001, the WTO talks are designed to boost the global economy and lift millions out of poverty by lowering trade barriers.

Developing countries like Brazil insist that the EU slash the generous trade protection given to its farmers, while the wealthier nations demand freer access to these countries' markets.

During the gathering in the Brazilian city, the three sides also stressed that the talks were only exploratory and final decisions must be made by the WTO's 150 members.

Source: Xinhua