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The ambassador overseeing an important area of global free trade talks has said he will leave his post in August, adding pressure on WTO members to settle their issues before he goes.
Don Stephenson, Canada's ambassador to the WTO since 2004, has for the past two years mediated talks over cutting tariffs on industrial goods such as cars, shoes, fuel and timber.
“My term as Canadian ambassador ends in August,” Stephenson said, adding his last official duty as industry chairman would be a report to the WTO's 152-country membership “in the last few days of July”.
His departure aligns with a critical moment for the Doha Round, as WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy has been pushing for trade ministers to meet before August to address the most politically-sensitive issues in the talks, including the size of tariff and subsidy cuts on industrial and agricultural goods.
Many developing countries have accused Stephenson of pushing them to open up their fledging industries too much, fearing job losses if their manufacturers cannot keep up with products imported from the US, Europe or China.
At the same time, wealthy nations have pushed for more business opportunities in emerging economies such as Brazil and India, and have called on Stephenson to seek deeper tariff cuts with fewer exceptions for sensitive industries. (Source: Reuters)
June 24, 2008
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