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Image header Agence Europe
Europe Daily Bulletin No. 8634
Contents Publication in full By article 24 / 38
GENERAL NEWS / (eu) eu/united states/wto

Washington set to agree to agriculture concessions

Brussels, 29/01/2004 (Agence Europe) - According to a high-ranking US official, the United States are prepared to make agriculture concessions under a fair agreement on the Doha Development Agenda. Grant Aldonas, Under-Secretary of State for Trade, was quoted by French daily Les Echos on Thursday as saying "The lesson to be learnt from Cancun is clear, we need to do away with export subsidies, a pre-requisite for many WTO members - but that does not mean that the Americans will not budge. In Doha, as in Cancun, nobody questioned the need to also cut down on production subsidies. We just need to find the right formula". He recalled that "the same Congress that voted the Farm Bill (that has just given a further boost to sector subsidies) has also given President George W. Bush full negotiating rights". Congress, he believes, is "ready to budge if we reach a fair agreement".

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