FTAA
OBSTACLES SHOW AT MIAMI MINISTERIAL MEETING
26 November 2003
The
United States wants to fashion a Free Trade Area of
the Americas agreement which is comprehensive, hemispheric
and lasting. The public in many countries is increasingly
skeptical about the benefits of such an agreement.
Agricultural subsidies in developed countries can
pose significant barriers to agricultural prosperity
in developing nations. Argentina and Brazil in particular
demand that there be an arrangement through which
countries adversely affected by such policies would
receive compensation or special consideration in bilateral
agreements.
Ambassador
Ross Wilson, chief American negotiator for the FTAA,
addressing the Center for Strategic and International
Studies, yesterday, noted that recent free trade meetings
in Cancún and Miami could be viewed as setbacks
to the liberalization of trade throughout the hemisphere.
Argentine
Ambassador to the US, José Bordón, noted
his hopes that Miami would have been a great "opportunity
to speak frankly" about the nature of trade relations
and the need to consider the difficulties of domestic
economic considerations in many countries.
Wilson
specified that there could be no negotiation on the
topic of providing "compensation", saying
that such was not of interest to the US. Bordón
said that this was the only real point of contention
and that it would be necessary to find a word which
properly expressed the aspirations of those who seek
"compensation". He also state that no FTAA
agreement could be allowed to unfairly or unwisely
protect inefficient policies and structures, which
might be to the long-term detriment of all parties.
Bordón added that without addressing issues
of balance in hemispheric negotiations, the "Doha
Round" of trade talks would remain off-track.
The
Argentine Ambassador referred to ongoing public debate
in many countries, and said it was important to respect
that democratic principles and structures were a necessary
and integral part of free trade negotiations. Not
only "compensation", but also "flexibility"
remain disputed terms among FTAA negotiators. [Más
información: MAGIC]
