Trade talks collapse 'welcome'

Trade ministers had gathered for marathon talks aimed at concluding the seven-year negotiations.

John Hilary, executive director of the anti-poverty charity, said: “We welcome the collapse of the trade talks. The deal on the table threatened disaster for millions as a result of forcing open developing countries’ markets. Now the WTO must seize this opportunity to rethink its approach. Trade must serve the interests of the majority of the world’s people, not just big business.”

At the G8 last month Gordon Brown claimed that a deal could help to solve the global food crisis, but War on Want believes that the deal on offer would have made global food, financial and environmental crises worse.

Hilary continued: “rather than trying to revive these failed negotiations, Brown must join with other European leaders in crafting a new EU trade policy. Europe’s relations with the wider world must be based on principles of trade justice, not the self-interest of European exporters.”

The failure was due mainly to the US refusal to accept safeguards for farmers and workers in developing countries. The US and EU also refused to offer any meaningful cuts in the subsidies given to their own farmers, which lead to the dumping of agricultural produce on developing country markets and the destruction of rural economies.

These disagreements have led to two previous collapses and are symptomatic of the aggressive tactics of the US and EU throughout the talks, said War on Want.

War on Want points to existing evidence that forcing open developing countries’ markets even more in the interests of Western corporations, would further increase poverty and inequality.

Developing countries that were supposed to benefit from a deal have been almost totally excluded from decisions. Any future talks must be conducted on the basis of genuine transparency and democracy, said War on Want.

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For comment and further details, phone War on Want trade campaign officer David Tucker on +44 (0)7906 756863 or +44 (0)20 7549 0587

Trade Justice - The New Corporate Trade Attack: International trade rules directly affect billions of people, rich and poor alike, but it is those in developing countries that are on the sharp end.