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The US and the EU have said the Doha Round of global trade talks could collapse due to stubborn attitude of some big developing countries.
The warning comes when there is a push to end the over six-year-old World Trade Organisation talks. This could further widen the gap between the rich and the poor countries.
Success in the round was important to solve the global food crisis and prevent the world sliding into job-destroying protectionism, EU trade head Peter Mandelson said.
“Everyone knows that those who are playing it long are playing for failure. Delays will make things harder,” he said after meeting trade ministers from other WTO powers in Paris.
US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said the WTO talks were entering their most critical days since they started. “None of us alone can carry this forward and it only takes a few of us to make sure the talks stall,” she said.
Mandelson and Schwab have not named the countries risking Doha's collapse, but they have said advanced developing countries like Brazil, India and China are not doing enough. France says it doesn't want to be hurried into a premature deal. (Source: Reuters)
June 6, 2008
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