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Political will needed to finish Doha round: UN
UN says it will require "considerable political will" to make "tough" decisions if the Doha round of negotiations is to be completed.
As trade ministers from key WTO member countries meet in Switzerland for a Mini-Ministerial, the United Nations on Tuesday said it will require "considerable political will" to make "tough" decisions if the Doha round of negotiations is to be completed by the end of this year.
"Against the low expectations and even predictions of another failure, the results achieved (at Hong Kong Ministerial last month) could be qualified as modest and marginal, but nevertheless positive," the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs said in a report.
"...To conclude the negotiations in 2006 would require considerable political will from the participants to make tough decisions," the report - 'World Economic Situation and Prospects 2006', released said.
In Hong Kong, trade ministers set an April 30 deadline to complete full modalities in farm and industrial goods and October 31 for submitting final draft schedules for services, with a view to finalise the Doha round by December 31.
The report said the Hong Kong meet resulted in three main positive outcomes - agreement to eliminate export subsidies by 2013, phase out export subsidies on cotton by 2006-end and a development package for the poorest countries.
Trade Ministers from about 30 countries are meeting in Davos on January 27-28 to take stock of the negotiations with a view to sustain the momentum gained at Hong Kong.
The report said progress on all areas was required to meet the development objectives of the Doha round.
"This holds in particular for trade in farm products, where politically painful actions are to be taken, mostly by developed countries in export and trade-distorting domestic subsidies," the report added.
