Brussels, 17/11/2000 (Agence Europe) - The calls in favour of launching a new round of trade talks are growing more and more frequent as the 2000 deadline draws nearer. Bill Clinton, US President, believes "it ought to happen as early as possible next year". US Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky feels "a new round will be inaugurated, certainly, within the next year". The 21 member countries of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum (APEC) followed closely behind agreeing, on Thursday, that a balanced and sufficiently enlarged agenda for discussions should be finalised as early as possible in 2001 and a round begun in 2002.
European Commissioner Pascal Lamy recently expressed astonishment that "Geneva in all its collective wisdom is starting to wonder if we can actually launch a round in 2001 or 2002 I find this bizarre", he said, explaining that "part of the problem is that too many people spend too much time trying to work out when it will be possible and not enough time working out what we need to do to get the round launched".
"The freer-trade coalition is apathetic and fragmented", noted Director General for the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Mr Moore, who urged countries concerned to "mobilise and unite" this front, making difficult choices among the priorities with "realism and political courage", to come to a consensus on the scale of negotiations to come. And, if the climate in Geneva seems "more propitious than one year ago" and all say they are "willing to build on results" obtained since the failure in Seattle then support must also be enlarged in favour of greater multilateral liberalisation during next year.