WTO delegates play waiting blame game

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 16th Dec 2005

Four days into the 6 day Ministerial conference in Hong Kong, World Trade Organisation delegates have made little progress in brokering the framework for a promised new trade deal to aid poorer countries, according to Malcolm Bruce MP, attending the summit on behalf of the International Development Committee, which he chairs.

"In spite of the fact that the Doha round of trade negotiations launched four years ago was promised to be a development round, developed countries are looking for significant concessions from the poorest countries.

"Trade distorting subsidies by the EU and the US are a barrier to helping poor countries trade their way out of poverty, yet each is blaming the other for the present deadlock. The EU is being criticised for its sugar regime, while the US is coming under fierce attack for cotton subsidies which depress the economies of several poor African states.

"What poor countries need is unconditional access to developed markets reinforced by an aid for trade package to help them develop the capacity to take advantage of freer trade. What they are getting is continued trade distorting agricultural subsidies in the EU and US, pressure to open up services and an unspecified selection of special products which developed countries still want to protect.

"The WTO was set up to provide the framework and rules for creating freer trade but the big players are still defending indefensible protection to their domestic markets while trying to get poorer developing countries to open up their markets faster than they want.

"If developed countries really mean it when they say free trade offers potential benefits to everyone they must move farther and faster in that direction than anyone else. That can be the only possible meaning of a development round."