WELLINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - The next round of World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks could be delayed until 2001 due to the U.S. elections, a senior New Zealand official said on Thursday.
Bruce Ross, Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, told a parliamentary select committee that a proper round of ministerial talks would probably start next year in the wake of the aborted talks in Seattle last December.
"The real round will probably start next year. The expectations, after talking to the Europeans and the Americans, is that a new comprehensive round now can't start until after the United States elections and there is a new administration in place," Ross said.
U.S. presidential primaries are now well underway with presidential and congressional elections slated for November.
"If we don't get a full round we will find that there is nothing to be gained for the Japanese and Europeans in return for concessions in agriculture.
"It is likely that this year the negotiations that get under way will, to some extent, be shadow boxing and setting out people's positions in agriculture," Ross said.
He expressed hope that the new U.S. administration would fast track trade issues through Congress so that U.S. negotiators could make firm commitments during the next WTO round.
The new WTO Council chief Kare Bryn said on Tuesday he would work to prepare for the launch of the new round of trade liberalisation but declined to predict when it might get off the ground.
WTO envoys have agreed to launch negotiations on lowering barriers to trade in farm produce and services within six weeks but have not set a time-frame for talks.:
