The heads of State who participated Sunday, February 12, in the Progressive Governance Summit in Pretoria, South Africa, concluded that the Doha Round has to be finished soon.
The Doha Round is the negotiation in the World Trade Organization (WTO) over the future of agricultural subsidies in the developed countries and the penetration of industrial goods and services in the poorer countries.
This information was provided at the end of the first session of the Summit by Brazil’s Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim.
According to Amorim, during the meeting, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called for an end to agricultural subsidies in Europe and the United States.
"The Round must be concluded soon. This is an economic, political, and social necessity. It is needed in order to end poverty and avoid threats to world order," the chancellor affirmed.
Amorim said that all seven leaders who participated in the Summit agreed that the chief beneficiaries have to be the poorest countries, including ones in Latin America, such as Bolivia and Paraguay.
The meeting was attended by the heads of State of Brazil, the United Kingdom, New Zealand, South Africa, Ethiopia, Sweden, and South Korea. The director of the WTO, Pascal Lamy, and the European Union trade commissioner, Peter Mendelson, were also present.
Agência Brasil