AFX.COM | January 13, 2004
EU commissioner for trade Pascal Lamy today welcomed US proposals to relaunch the Doha round of trade talks as a "positive initiative".
The willingness of the US to join the position of the EU in favour of relaunching the talks "is a positive initiative" which should dispel the impression that the US wants to put the issue aside during the election year, Lamy said in an address to the European Parliament.
"The US and Europe have sufficient room for manoeuvre to relaunch the negotiations," he said.
The technical process of relaunching the talks at the WTO's headquarters in Geneva, which should last around 1-2 months, should be started as soon as possible, he said.
In a letter dated Jan 11, Robert Zoellick, US Trade representative, wrote to WTO members in a bid to revive the talks.
According to a draft copy of the letter obtained by AFX News, Zoellick said: "I do not want 2004 to be a lost year for the WTO negotiations." Other WTO members had feared the US presidential elections would overshadow trade negotiations.AFX.COM:
