NCGA Remains Hopeful WTO Deal Will Be Reached (7-3-06)

The World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round talks remained at a standstill after another weekend of negotiations in Geneva, but the National Corn Growers Association (NCGA) is not giving up hope that a deal can be reached, according to Joint Trade Policy A-Team Chairman Bob Bowman.

“We’re not giving up,” Bowman said. “We’re confident something will be worked out. Progress is never made until the last hour. We’re disappointed there doesn’t seem to be enough movement from the other parties, but everybody knows trade promotion authority expires in 2007, so we have to get our work done before that.”

U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab and Secretary of Agriculture Mike Johanns met with other WTO ministers in Geneva last week. At a press conference on July 1, the two remarked that they are disappointed the talks have not progressed as much as they hoped.

“We are here for a purpose,” said Johanns. “We want this round to be successful.  We are very, very committed to the round. And even though it has often times been very difficult sledding, we are still optimistic that this round can come together and can move the world forward when it comes to world trade.”

Schwab said “it’s too early to tell” if negotiations will be successful over the next month.

“We would hope so, but it’s too early to tell, and the United States is prepared to engage in this in the most constructive manner possible, working with trading partners,” she said. “But, obviously, the experience of the last several days has been somewhat disheartening.”

Schwab noted other trade discussions have stumbled but ultimately rebounded, citing the Uruguay round in the early 1990s.

Schwab and Johanns insist the U.S. offer is the best right now.

“The U.S. was very forthcoming in October and put an offer on the table that quite frankly, by any measure, is the most ambitious offer that is sitting on the table in terms of agriculture,” Schwab said.