|
ICC
applauds advances in Doha round
 |
| ICC congratulates
WTO delegates |
Paris,
3 August 2004
- ICC welcomes the 31 July agreement by the World Trade Organization (WTO)
on frameworks for negotiations on trade in agriculture, market access
for non-agricultural products, and decisions to move other elements of
the Doha Development Agenda forward. These elements include the liberalization
of trade in services and the launch of negotiations on WTO rules on trade
facilitation.
The agreement constitutes
a significant step forward in putting the Doha round back on track and
in re-establishing international confidence in the WTO and the rules-based
multilateral trading system.
On behalf of world
business, ICC congratulates WTO members, and especially their trade ministers,
for finding a consensus on essential elements of the Doha Agenda at this
key juncture. Although there is still a long way to go before the Doha
round is brought to a successful conclusion, the round-the-clock negotiations
that took place during the last week of July resulted in much needed concrete
progress on crucial issues.
"The difficult
task of finalizing the agenda and negotiating frameworks for the round
has been completed and now the even more challenging negotiations on the
detail of trade liberalization commitments can begin", said Maria
Livanos Cattaui, ICC's Secretary General. "The US presidential election
in November and the appointment of a new EU trade commissioner will probably
delay further progress this year, but we must keep noses to grindstones."
The agreed texts lay
the necessary foundations for a next phase of more in-depth negotiations,
which should enable WTO members to advance the Doha agenda between now
and the next WTO Ministerial Conference in December 2005 in Hong Kong.
ICC
Commission on Trade and Investment Policy
|