Brussels, 07/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - As usual, the leaders of the G20 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, the EU, the United Kingdom and the United States) meeting in Cannes on 3-4 November, committed to “avoid protectionism and not turn inward” at this “critical time” for the global economy. “We reaffirm our standstill commitments until the end of 2013, as agreed [at the previous summit] in Toronto, commit to roll back any new protectionist measure that may have arisen, including new export restrictions and WTO-inconsistent measures to stimulate exports”, read the final declaration. The WTO, OECD and UNCTAD have been asked to continue monitoring the situation.
On the eve of the eighth ministerial conference of the WTO to be held in Geneva in mid-December, which will not lead, as it was hoped last year in Toronto, to a conclusion before the end of December of the laborious Doha Round, the leaders of the G20 reaffirmed their commitment to the multilateral negotiations, whilst agreeing on the need to implement new approaches in 2012 to move them forward. “It is clear that we will not complete the Doha Development Agenda if we continue to conduct negotiations as we have in the past. We recognise the progress achieved so far. To contribute to confidence, we need to pursue in 2012 fresh, credible approaches to furthering negotiations, including the issues of concern for least developed countries and, where they can bear fruit, the remaining elements of the DDA mandate”, the final declaration stresses. The leaders of the G20 countries therefore call upon their trade ministers to work on these approaches in Geneva in December. (EH/transl.fl)