MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

WTO: Mercosur insist with agriculture and Blair's proposal

Mercosur Foreign Affairs ministers meeting in Montevideo Tuesday conditioned advances in overall trade negotiations to the dismantling of agriculture protectionism and elimination of farm subsidies.

Just a few weeks from the crucial World Trade Organization Hong Kong December summit, Mercosur ministers expressed their concern with the lack of flexibility shown by certain developed countries in the agriculture issue.

However they look with expectation to the recent Guildhall announcement by the current president of the European Union, Prime Minister Tony Blair.

"For Mercosur, only advances in agriculture negotiations will find proportional replies in other negotiation areas", states the official release.

Furthermore Mercosur member countries feel that market access demands from developed countries regarding non farm produce and in services "do not correspond with any of the three pillars of the agriculture negotiation"

Ministers said Mercosur calls on all WTO members, particularly the most developed, to extreme efforts in the short time leading to the December 13/18 meeting so that "the development objectives of the Doha Declaration can be fully delivered".

The release insists that agriculture talks must be the core objective of the coming meeting and fully adhere to G20 efforts to finish with distorting farm policies, promote the liberalization of agriculture produce trade, focused on the special and differentiated treatment for developing countries.

"Mercosur Foreign Affairs ministers are determined to identify and implement mechanisms which contribute to a greater market opening for those produce of interest for the less advanced countries, particularly in Africa and Latinamerica, including access free of quotas and tariffs".

Mercosur ministers underline that the blocks' governments are determined to ensure "a high degree of ambition" for the Doha Round and so promoting the "dimension of development".

In his Guildhall speech Prime Minister Tony Blair called on the rich nations to help poor countries by reducing export subsidies and opening markets.

"To break the logjam threatening talks, United States and the European Union must advance further in agriculture negotiations", said Mr Blair who asked for "a credible date to end all export subventions".

We need a comprehensive, ambitious agreement to cut barriers to trade in the three key areas: agriculture, non-agricultural market access, and services. In return developing countries must open to foreign investment.

"We must reduce subventions which distort trade, look at a credible date to end export subventions and an ambitious limit to the number of sensitive products which could benefit from a supplementary protection".

Prime Minister Blair added the security ingredient to his speech.

"In a modern world there is no security or prosperity at home unless we deal with the global challenges of conflict, terrorism, climate change and poverty".

"Self interest and mutual interest are inextricably linked. National interests can best be advanced through collective action".