The G8 nations dropped a commitment on Saturday to complete the troubled Doha trade round this year and promised to pursue bilateral and regional trade talks until a global deal could be done.
WTO members launched the Doha Round in 2001 but talks have stalled amid arguments over how much rich countries should cut farm subsidies and tariffs in exchange for developing nations opening up their markets.
A communique issued at the end of the G8 summit said merely that members renewed their pledge to finish the round.
PHOTO: AFP
Last year, a G8 summit in Italy and a Pittsburgh meeting of the G20 both committed to an end date for this year.
“G8 members of the WTO renew their commitment to the successful conclusion of the Doha Development Agenda, building on the progress already made,” a joint statement of the eight said.
The text dropped a previous deadline to complete the round by the end of this year. In Toronto, leaders instead appeared to open the door to more regional and bilateral deals, which backers of the Doha Round say make it more difficult to secure a global deal.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who chaired the G8 summit, used words like “at some point” and “eventually” to describe when the deal could be done.
“I would never go so far as to say Doha is dead. I don’t think it’s true and I don’t think we can afford to say that. We’ve got to find a path over time to get to a successful conclusion,” Harper told a closing news conference.
“Those of us who favor liberalized trade are not going to stand still ... Canada and many other governments are committed to more aggressively pursuing bilateral and regional trade deals as a way of kick-starting the process while we see the Doha talks remaining stalled,” he said.
Trade ministers have long said a multilateral trade deal at the WTO is more beneficial for the global economy than more limited bilateral and regional agreements.
Canada, which is holding talks with the EU about a possible free-trade agreement, has in recent years signed such deals with Israel and Chile. Along with the US and Mexico, it is part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which came into force in 1994.
The US last week blamed China and other big emerging economies for the deadlock.
Harper said the G8 agreed that “to have a successful round in the Doha Round, eventually we all must raise our level of ambition.”
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