Crunch Time for Doha Round of Trade Negotiations

Leading business representatives from the Asia-Pacific region have made a strong call for actions by governments to bring the Doha Development Round of multilateral trade negotiations to a successful conclusion within the next three months.

Speaking in Moscow today, the Chair of the APEC Business Advisory Council, Mr Juan Francisco Raffo, said that the time had come for political decisions to conclude the negotiations and release the results for public scrutiny and debate.

In Geneva, trade negotiations have been gaining in momentum throughout past weeks and outcomes in agriculture and non-agricultural market access, services and other vital areas had begun to take shape, according to the World Trade Organization.

The ABAC delegation has urged the negotiators to complete their work so that the package could be signed off before the end of August. The credit crisis and the supply and rising cost of food have added to pressures on the global economy. Governments require the sort of support that may be available through the WTO and other international organisations.

"This is not a time for delay in the Doha Round negotiations," explains Raffo. "On the contrary, a high level outcome would inject new confidence into the global economy, help to counter protectionist pressures and provide a more stable environment for governments and business to work together on resolving the difficulties now faced."

ABAC understands that the technical work on agreements on major sections of the negotiations is close to completion. Documentation should be considered as a matter of urgency, with a view to completing the negotiation process. ABAC will be conveying this view to APEC Ministers of Trade who will be meeting in Peru at the end of May, and to their individual Governments. ABAC invites other business people and organizations to make similar approaches to Governments so no doubt can be left of the vital importance placed by business on the case for urgent resolution of the outstanding issues and the achievement of a comprehensive and balanced result.