The WTO's Hong Kong Doha Round meetings begin on December 13. Pascal Lamy, the WTO's Director General, would like a draft declaration for the meetings by the middle of this month.
Negotiations picked up again today in London. They move to Geneva tomorrow. Frances Williams reports that this may be 'Make or break' week for draft trade declaration (Financial Times, Nov 7):
Ministers from the US, European Union, Brazil, India and Japan will meet in London this evening before joining other ministers and officials in Geneva for a meeting tomorrow hosted by Pascal Lamy, director-general of the World Trade Organisation. Further meetings are scheduled for Wednesday.
Mr Lamy, who will also be at the London meeting, has set mid-November as the target for a draft of the Hong Kong declaration...
Trade diplomats say that, if there is no breakthrough in the talks this week, preparations for Hong Kong will need to centre on a damage limitation exercise that seeks to salvage what it can from negotiations so far in the hope of catching up early next year.
"If Hong Kong is not as successful as we hoped it would be, we just keep pushing," said Rob Portman, US trade representative...
Early Tuesday morning, the New Economist has a discouraging report on Monday's discussions: WTO trade talk hopes fade .
Revised November 7, 10:50 PM Alaska local time (ALT)
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