Rio, August 28, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The co-president of the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA), the Brazilian Ambassdor Adhemar Bahadian, thinks that the World Trade Organization (WTO) ministerial meeting in September, in Mexico, even if it isn't directly related to the creation of the FTAA, has a potentially important role to play in determining the progress of these negotiations.
The other co-president of the FTAA negotiations, the American Ambassador Peter Allgeier, mentioned some areas in which there have been advances. He underscored the area of customs duties, in which, according to Allgeier, 34 countries have been complying with the periods that were establishing in agreements and have presented proposals that are being analyzed. Another area that the American diplomat made a point of highlighting is that of government purchases. "There is not always agreement, but the basic and essential questions have already taken written form. This represents progress."
At today's meeting in the Itamaraty Palace to evaluate the progress in the negotiations, the head of the group in charge of the Agricultural area stated that the sanitary and disease-control area are doing well. Nevertheless, Ambassador Bahadian made a point of observing that, if other heads of groups were consulted, "the overall assessment wouldn't be as positive in the area of agriculture, as well as in other areas."
The diplomatic official stressed that, if advances are occurring in the area of customs duties, it is necessary to pay attention to other agricultural issues that haven't even been considered, much less negotiated. "Domestic and foreign subsidies. Some products that are important to certain countries but which are not even being including in the process of rapid customs relief. There are also a lot of problems in the agricultural area which, from the point of view of other countries, have still not been entirely resolved." The diplomatic official acknowledged that this also constitutes a serious area within the scope of the WTO, so it is no surprise that the same problems arise within the scope of the FTAA. (DAS)
