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The need to intensify negotiations about agricultural and non agricultural market-opening, and about domestic subsidies, was one of the conclusions of the informal meeting about the World Trade Organization (WTO) Doha Round.
The encounter dealt both with the elimination of agricultural subsidies in rich countries, and the reduction of barriers to industrialized products in poorer countries. The meeting was this Saturday, April 1st in Rio, Brazil, and counted with the participation of Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, and trade representatives of the United States, Robert Portman, and of the European Union, Peter Mandelson. According to Amorim, the three negotiators agreed that it is necessary to speed up studies and simulations about rich countries domestic support of agriculture, in order to exactly evaluate how to lower subsidies. "We all have a general idea of the numbers, but when we reach this point, it is important to have a precise idea of the numbers," said Amorim. The Minister affirmed that the conversation between the three representatives was positive, and added that it was merely exploratory, once any decision needs to be made by all WTO member countries. Trade negotiators of the European Union and the United States also stressed the need to quickly advance negotiations, in order to reach a positive result for all involved parties. Agência Brasil
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