Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, today, to suggest a meeting between Heads of State, soon, to disentangle WTO (World Trade Organization) negotiations.
The 6th WTO Ministerial Meeting is scheduled for December 13-18, in Hong Kong, and will conclude the Doha Round, a series of negotiations that began in 2001.
According to Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, Tony Blair welcomed the idea, but said that he would have to talk to the other members of the G7 – the group of the seven richest countries in the world. Tony Blair is the current president of the European Union.
Representatives of the G7 and of the developing nations would participate on the meeting. The Minister said that this meeting could add the political element that is indispensable to overcome differences that keep arising and that keep being treated as strictly commercial and technical issues.
According to Amorim, Lula expressed his concern with the current status of the Round, and emphasized that more than a commercial issue, this negotiation can affect the lives of millions of people.
Amorim stated that President Lula added that there must be a balance between measures adopted by both sides.
"The President told Blair that it doesn’t make sense to expect developing nations to reduce their industrial tariffs more than developed countries are doing on their agricultural ones," said Amorim.
Agência Brasil