Brazil wants global trade talks, ‘but will not make new concessions’

Friday, February 25th 2011 - 06:36 UTC

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Foreign Affairs minister Antonio Patriota met with Timothy Geithner

Brazil's Foreign Affairs ministry told U.S. officials on Thursday that Brazil wants global talks at the World Trade Organization to move forward, but can't make any new concessions.

“It is unfair at this stage to ask countries like Brazil to increase liberalization--unless there is movement in agriculture, but that is not likely” said Tovar Nunes, a spokesman for Brazilian minister Antonio de Aguiar Patriota.

The comments followed Patriota's meeting with U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, where the two sides discussed trade, President Barack Obama's pending visit and other matters.

Nunes said Brazil is “ready to pick up on what we had” in July 2008, when WTO Director General Pascal Lamy outlined a compromise package in an effort to score a breakthrough.

Concerns in Brazil's private sector preclude Brazilian negotiators from moving beyond that proposal, Nunes said.

WTO negotiations meant to cut trade barriers and farm subsidies collapsed at the July 2008 meeting amid sharp recriminations among core negotiators from the U.S., Europe, India, China and Brazil.

The main stumbling block was a mechanism to protect farmers from surges in agricultural imports. India, China and the U.S. failed to agree on a measure.

The July 2008 meeting was the last big push on global trade talks before the financial crisis.