27 July 2005

On the first day of the WTO’s General Council meeting there is already the expectation that the talks will not deliver a clear agenda for a new trade agreement.

"The WTO must now halt the talks. Negotiations should only be resumed if they start afresh in a new direction. Poor countries should no longer be locked out of important meetings. It is crucial that negotiations benefit millions of the world’s poorest people whose lives and livelihoods depend on their outcome," says Aftab Alam, head of ActionAid’s trade justice campaign.

Talks that have been taking place over the last week between small groups of countries are in deadlock, with little movement expected over the next three days. Poor countries, many of whom have been locked out of negotiations, now seem further away than ever of getting an agreement that will benefit their people.

The key issues:

Agriculture: while the main talks appear to be over, last minute discussions may take place over the weekend. There has been little progress and there will be no new proposals. This means that an early date for ending damaging export subsidies that are having a devastating impact on millions of the world’s poorest people will not be set at this meeting.

NAMA (non agricultural market access): the chairman of the negotiations has been holding informal talks over the past week. They have been happening on a very secretive basis, with a few countries invited to discuss an unknown agenda. However, the talks are now clearly linked to the agricultural negotiations. Therefore movement on NAMA during the General Council meeting is unlikely.

GATS and services: substantive talks have yet to begin.

"It is a scandal to see yet another opportunity for the WTO to help poor people slip through its fingers. Tied up in their own self interest the EU and US seem unwilling to budge on key issues such as agricultural subsidies and market access. We can only hope that they will stop this petty squabbling and live up to their promises to deliver a trade deal to help the world’s poorest people," says Angela Wauye from ActionAid Kenya.