World trade talks reach agreement

[shawn703]

World Trade Organization members have agreed a revised draft deal that aims to revive stalled talks on freeing up trade between rich and poor nations.
Key WTO members have accepted proposals to cut the subsidies wealthy countries give their farmers.

The deal should reduce barriers to international trade and so, it is hoped, lift millions out of poverty. "Better late than never," said WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell, after talks ran 24 hours longer than scheduled.




more...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3937745.stm

[MisterP]

1. get ready to Thatcherize!

or Blairify, or Pinochetinate--same thing

[T_i_B]

2. Great news!

Key WTO members accepted proposals to cut the subsidies wealthy countries give their farmers for exports.

The deal should reduce barriers to international trade and so, it is hoped, lift millions out of poverty.

[rman]

5. maybe not so great

if it's the same "lifting out of poverty" that we have seen so far, it means those people get to work for 10ct an hour so they can buy a bowl of rice so they won't starve to death.

It's like Bush's "taxcut for the poor"; some benefit more then others, and it's not the poor who benefit most. Yet the whole thing is presented as though the poor do benefit most. It has all the characteristics of a scam.

www.thecorporation.com

[T_i_B]

6. I'll try to explain

Poor 3rd world farmers produce crops that they cannot sell to us due to protectionist barriers to trade, hence they stay poor. Remove said barriers and poor farmers can trade more, and make more money as a result. Hence free trade helps to lift the poor out of poverty. It actually makes it easier for poor nations to get a fair deal from international trade! :-)

[rman]

7. If that would actually happen, it'd be a first for the WTO.

So far the arguments for this so called "free trade" are the same as we've been hearing for decades, while the results have been beneficial primarily to large corporations.

[tlcandie]

8. I will wait till I hear from the little guys as to whether they were

treated fairly in the end or screwed as usual! :hi:

[T_i_B]

9. It was the poor countries who were pushing for this

The reson Doha collapsed was that the poor countries ganged up to demand liberalization of the rich nation's agriculture sectors. It's the poor countries who want the likes of the EU and the US to open up their agriculture markets. Here's the BBC Q&A for more info on the subject

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3943439.stm

[tlcandie]

10. Yes, I do know this much, BUT I would still like to hear their take on

the outcome. I just don't trust anything w/o hearing from both sides. Going to read your link now. Thanks!

EDIT: Read it.. will wait to see. Sounds good, but will wait for final outcome so my hopes aren't dashed to smitherins yet again.

[T_i_B]

12. Thanks for reading the links!

And yes, we are still quite a way from the final outcome, but this still has all the hallmarks of a step in the right direction IMHO!

Thanks for popping on here BTW! I'm suprised so few DUers are picking up on this.

[T_i_B]

3. Much work ahead for WTO

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3943271.stm

Throughout the day the mood amongst ministers and diplomats seemed to lift as last-minute negotiations managed to iron out the remaining problem areas.

The accord covers trade liberalisation in agriculture, industrial goods and services but it will probably be remembered for the moment the developing world finally struck a blow against the regime of subsidies rich countries give their farmers.

How significant a blow will only become clear after several more years of negotiations to flesh out this slender 17-page outline deal.

It is only a framework and there is a lot more work to be done, because these 17 pages have to be turned into a document which will run to many hundreds of pages. The detail has to be added and it is only then that we can work out to what extend it's a good deal for the rich nations and to what extent it's a good deal for the least-developed countries.

[T_i_B]

4. Kick

:kick:

[phasev]

11. maybe another scam n/t