Nations urged to revive trade talks

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The so-called "development round" of World Trade Organisation talks, launched in the Qatari city of Doha in 2001, was designed to help poorer countries participate in global markets by lifting trade barriers.

Agreement was intended to be reached by 2006, but negotiations became bogged down due to disagreement over EU and US reluctance to cut farm subsidies and resistance from some developing countries to the opening up of agricultural and industrial markets.

The new report from the House of Commons International Development Committee warned that "time is running out" both for the Doha Round and the EU's proposed Economic Partnership Agreements to promote trade with former colonies in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean.

The paper said that progress on the Doha Round had been "painfully slow", and reported evidence from development charity Traidcraft that the deal once held out as the best hope for economic progress in the poor world was now regarded by developing countries as a "dead duck".

Committee chairman Malcolm Bruce said: "Developed countries must accept responsibility if Doha fails. They should now either reinvigorate the process with unilateral moves or draw the process to a close if it is irretrievably moribund.

"The Government should continue to make the case for unilateral moves with other EU member states and encourage all negotiators to approach Doha with the degree of flexibility needed to succeed."