This is the VOA Special English Economics Report.
Today we have the second half of a report on the history of the World Trade
Organization.
The WTO was created in 1995 after the eighth round of world trade talks. The
rounds began in 1947, each one on different areas of trade.
The WTO tried to launch a ninth round in Seattle in 1999. But trade ministers
argued and free trade opponents rioted.
The WTO launched the ninth round in Doha, Qatar, in November of 2001. The new
round was named the Doha Development Agenda. This was meant to show developing
countries that the goals included reducing poverty.
Two other ministerial conferences took place: in Cancun, Mexico, in 2003
and Hong Kong in 2005. There was little progress toward agreement on major
issues.
WTO Director General Pascal Lamy of France suspended the
negotiations last July. But talks restarted in January.
Mister Lamy said he planned to send a strong message this week to leaders of
the Group of Eight and other nations at meetings in Germany. He said their
active support is needed for a successful and balanced outcome. Last month he
said the negotiations were moving but not very fast.
Twenty-one issues are listed under the Doha Development Agenda. At the heart,
though, is agriculture. Developing nations want industrial countries to end farm
supports that critics say drive down prices on world markets.
The United States has pushed for as much as an eighty-five percent reduction
and an expanded list of banned subsidies. European countries have resisted deep
cuts. Last week, the new French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, said France would
veto any agreement that did not meet its requirements.
EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson warns that if the talks fail now, they
would not reopen before two thousand ten.
The European Union, the United States, India and Brazil are preparing for
talks later this month. These four major WTO members are working for a deal on
the Doha round by the end of the year.
The World Trade Organization currently has one hundred fifty members. The
largest economy not a member is Russia. After years of trying, Russia hopes to
be in the WTO as early as January.
And that's the VOA Special English Economics Report, written by Mario Ritter.
I'm Steve Ember.
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