National Journal's CongressDaily | November 30, 2001 | By William New
The 144 countries of the World Trade Organization must "immediately" start substantive negotiations in the new round of trade talks launched earlier this month in Doha, Qatar, a U.S. trade representative said Thursday, National Journal's Technology Daily reported.
"It is extremely important that we move forward immediately," Peter Allgeier, deputy U.S. trade representative and the U.S. supervisor for the WTO talks, told a luncheon of the National Foreign Trade Council and the Global Business Dialogue. That is because the three-year time frame for completing talks in certain areas, including services, is already ambitious.
Chances for meeting the deadline will be very small if time is wasted in introductory posturing, he said.
Allgeier was joined by Rubens Barbosa, Brazilian ambassador to the United States, Gerard DePayre, deputy head of the European Commission delegation in Washington, and Meg McDonald, deputy chief of mission at the Embassy of Australia.
All four of the senior officials cited the need for Congress to renew trade negotiating authority for the president.
Allgeier said lack of so-called trade promotion authority would undermine the United States' ability to lead internationally. It also could affect countries' commitments in the services negotiations, where they are to submit their requests and offers for market-opening actions by June.
Barbosa said the Free Trade Area of the Americas talks slated to intensify next May will be affected if the authority is not in place.
The foreign officials also said they would watch closely what action Congress takes on a bill to reauthorize agriculture programs, because it would send a message on open markets and domestic support for farmers.
Allgeier said that in Doha, the United States was seen as "building bridges" and helping reach consensus. But failure to pass trade-negotiating authority would undercut that role in the future, he said.
The WTO round of negotiations is targeted to conclude in 2005, at the same time as the FTAA talks.National Journal's CongressDaily:
