On WTO

On WTO

Efforts by World Trade Organization members to resume global
trade talks that broke down at a ministerial meeting in September
are gaining momentum.

U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick is urging WTO
members to restart stalled international trade talks after
presenting developing nations with concessions on farm subsidies
and other issues.

It will be difficult for the WTO to accomplish its goal of
reaching a final agreement on the new round of talks by Jan. 1,
2005. The U.S. Presidential election is slated for November,
while the European Commission also will be reshuffled in autumn,
leaving both unable to focus fully on WTO matters.

But it should be possible for the WTO to reach an accord on
the framework by summer and assemble a ministerial conference by
the end of the year, paving the way for a final agreement to be
reached when the next U.S. administration and the new EU
executive organ are in place.

With this in mind, all WTO nations should work together to
restart the stalled talks as soon as possible. This is
particularly important for the U.S. and the EU as well as for
Brazil and other major industrializing countries, as they were
directly responsible for the breakdown in talks in September.
-- Yomiuri Shimbun, Tokyo