Brussels, 10/10/2003 (Agence Europe) - As Europe pointed out yesterday (see p.14), the major manoeuvring before the 148 return to the negotiating table has begun in Geneva to New Delhi, including Buenos Aires which hosted a meeting on Friday of Foreign Ministers of the G20+ countries. The group, from which Peru has just announced its withdrawal, may help developing countries strengthen their positions and work against farm subsidies for rich countries, the Argentinean Minister of the Economy, Roberto Lavagna, stressed. He hoped they would reach joint actions and positions with a view to the meeting that the World Trade Organisation (WTO) has set for 15 December 2003 at the very highest level (its decision-making body, the General Council). Mexico, which is among the members of the group recently renamed G20+ by President 'Lula', was to be represented in Buenos Aires by its Foreign Minister, Luis Ernesto Derbez, who chaired the Cancun Conference. Costa Rica, Guatemala and Ecuador had said they would not be able to attend. Furthermore, at the WTO, which is already playing footy-footy with the protagonists of the Doha Round, Director General Supachaï Panichpakdi is preparing to begin a tour of the main capitals with stopovers for now programmed in Asia, Latin America and in other countries of the Cairns Group. He also plans to meet Perez del Castillo from Uruguay who is leading the talks on the Doha Development Agenda, European Commissioner Pascal Lamy and the US Trade Representative, Robert Zoellick.
Plenary session