Blair pledges drive for world trade deal

LONDON – British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Monday he will hold talks with other European countries, the United States and Brazil in the next few weeks to try to get stalled world trade negotiations back on track.

Blair said he believed a world trade deal was possible and it would be a “massive wasted opportunity” if the negotiations – suspended since July – failed. Blair told the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) annual conference Britain would work very hard to revive the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks.”I think there is a deal that can be done.It requires Europe to move, it requires America to move, it requires Brazil, India and the G20 nations to move,” he said, referring to the Group of 20 developing nations.”I think it’s possible to do it.That will be a priority of mine over the next couple of months or so,” Blair said.Blair, prime minister for the last nine years, has said he will step down within the next year.The world trade negotiations broke down in July due to differences chiefly over farm trade, but Blair said he was “relatively optimistic” that the talks could succeed.”I will be having talks with the Germans and other European partners but also with the US and the Brazilians over the next few weeks.There is a negotiation that can be done …,” he said.European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson told Reuters in an interview in Cairo earlier on Monday the EU had proposed some trade ministers meet before the end of the year to revive a push for a world trade deal.A multilateral ministerial meeting would be the first specifically on the WTO’s Doha round of talks since negotiations were suspended.Bilateral discussions have taken place between the major parties.US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and British finance minister Gordon Brown said in a joint article in the Wall Street Journal on Monday that urgent action was needed to restart the global trade talks, in a sign the United States may be preparing to cede some ground to reach a deal.Blair said a deal would require developing countries giving “something more” on freeing up market access for industrial goods; Europe agreeing on a significantly bolder offer, particularly on agriculture; and the United States cutting farm subsidies by more than its present offer.He urged business leaders to push hard for a new trade pact.”If business doesn’t start lobbying hard on this, you guys will lose from this world trade round not going through,” he said.Top negotiators have said the round faces a deadline in July next year when the “fast-track” powers of US President George W Bush are due to expire and might not be extended by the newly Democrat-controlled US Congress.That means negotiations must be wrapped up by March or April to allow time for the paperwork to be wrapped up before July.”If we don’t get these world trade talks back on track again then when the US president’s mandate runs out …, I think it’s fair to say it’s unlikely he or any other president will get a more radical mandate,” Blair said.Nampa-ReutersBlair told the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) annual conference Britain would work very hard to revive the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks.”I think there is a deal that can be done.It requires Europe to move, it requires America to move, it requires Brazil, India and the G20 nations to move,” he said, referring to the Group of 20 developing nations.”I think it’s possible to do it.That will be a priority of mine over the next couple of months or so,” Blair said.Blair, prime minister for the last nine years, has said he will step down within the next year.The world trade negotiations broke down in July due to differences chiefly over farm trade, but Blair said he was “relatively optimistic” that the talks could succeed.”I will be having talks with the Germans and other European partners but also with the US and the Brazilians over the next few weeks.There is a negotiation that can be done …,” he said.European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson told Reuters in an interview in Cairo earlier on Monday the EU had proposed some trade ministers meet before the end of the year to revive a push for a world trade deal.A multilateral ministerial meeting would be the first specifically on the WTO’s Doha round of talks since negotiations were suspended.Bilateral discussions have taken place between the major parties.US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and British finance minister Gordon Brown said in a joint article in the Wall Street Journal on Monday that urgent action was needed to restart the global trade talks, in a sign the United States may be preparing to cede some ground to reach a deal.Blair said a deal would require developing countries giving “something more” on freeing up market access for industrial goods; Europe agreeing on a significantly bolder offer, particularly on agriculture; and the United States cutting farm subsidies by more than its present offer.He urged business leaders to push hard for a new trade pact.”If business doesn’t start lobbying hard on this, you guys will lose from this world trade round not going through,” he said.Top negotiators have said the round faces a deadline in July next year when the “fast-track” powers of US President George W Bush are due to expire and might not be extended by the newly Democrat-controlled US Congress.That means negotiations must be wrapped up by March or April to allow time for the paperwork to be wrapped up before July.”If we don’t get these world trade talks back on track again then when the US president’s mandate runs out …, I think it’s fair to say it’s unlikely he or any other president will get a more radical mandate,” Blair said.Nampa-Reuters