Agence France Presse | November 8, 2001
DOHA - Ministers from the 142-member World Trade Organization begin a five-day meeting in the Qatari capital Friday, aiming to draft an agenda for a new round of multilateral talks on lowering global trade barriers.
Here is a summary of the some of the principal issues before the conference.
AGRICULTURE: The battle here pits the United States and its allies in a bloc known as the Cairns Group against the European Union, with the former seeking a commitment that the new round will lead to the eventual elimination of agricultural export subsidies. The European Union has pledged to reduce such aid according to its own timetable but is resisting pressure to commit to a definitive end to the subsidies. EU officials point to the "multifunctionality" of agriculture and maintain that government help is needed to preserve rural economies and culture.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS: Developing countries, many of them locked in a life and death struggle against HIV/AIDS, are demanding an easing of WTO rules protecting drug patents held by big pharmaceutical companies. They want the freedom to offer cheaper, generic drugs to their people in times of medical crisis.
Industrialised countries, notably the United States and Switzerland, agree the regulations must be flexibly interpreted but insist overall respect for patent rights is needed to encourage companies to engage in the research and development of new drugs.
IMPLEMENTATION OF PREVIOUS COMMITMENTS: This is a critical demand of developing countries in Doha, who say they have yet to taste the fruits of the previous round of multilateral talks, the Uruguay Round, which ran from 1986 to 1994.
They insist that before they can commit to new trade opening measures the industrialised world must honor its previous engagements to accept more exports from developing countries.
THE ENVIRONMENT: Ensuring that any future trade deal includes provisions to protect the environment is a key objective of the European Union. The goal, according to EU officials, is to make it clear that governments should neither exploit the environment to gain market advantage nor use environmental protection as a means to protect their domestic industries from foreign competition.
Developing countries object to the inclusion of environmental protection clauses, fearing they will be used in the West to deny access to goods from poorer nations.
LABOR RIGHTS: The European Union is calling for discussion of links between trade and fundamental workers' rights.
Developing countries fear that rich nations will seek to justify protectionist measures against foreign competition by alleging their rivals abuse workers' rights.
COMPETITION POLICY: The United States can expect tough questioning here from Japan and South Korea about its practice of applying punitive -- or anti-dumping -- duties on imports it claims have entered the US market at unfairly low prices.
Japan and South Korea are pressing for a WTO clarification of these practices, arguing that they have been used by Washington to shield inefficient US industries such as steel.
The United States says anti-dumping duties are needed to preserve public support for free trade and would prefer the issue not to be raised in Doha.
INVESTMENT: Wealthy nations say investing in foreign companies contributes to development in poor countries and want guarantees that overseas investors will not face discrimination.
Developing countries say their companies are not yet able to compete with foreign firms and want more time to ready for such competition before they commit to non-discrimination clauses.
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