Brussels, 22/09/2006 (Agence Europe) - After three days of negotiations in Cairns, not attended by EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson (he had been invited, however), the Cairns Group of big farm exporters called for the big players to return to the negotiating table as quickly as possible, and certainly no later than November 2006. Any longer would increase the danger of losing everything that has been won in the talks to date along with the momentum for reforming trade, said Australia's trade minister Mark Vaile in the final statement. He said the EU, the United States, the G10 (net agricultural importing countries, led by Japan and Switzerland) and all countries with the highest level of aid and protection should agree to make the necessary changes in their offerings with regard to access to market and internal aid in order to establish a basis for being able to get talks going again as soon as possible.
Following the meeting in Rio on 10 September (see EUROPE No. 9262), there have been a series of signs that the global trade negotiations may be relaunched. EU's ambassador to the WTO, Carlo Trojan, said in Cairns that it was still feasible. Peter Mandelson's visit to the United States next week may be the decisive factor. In the US, Mandelson will be discussing with the chief US negotiator, Susan Schwab, the implications of the Cairns Group's statement. On Monday, EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel said that progress would need to be made before the mid-term elections for the US Congress in November, leaving four months to relaunch the negotiations. In the spring of next year, Congress will be deciding whether to renew the negotiating mandate of the Bush Administration, the 'Fast Track'. Susan Schwab said this week that it would be difficult to get it renewed. If Congress decides to refuse to extend the Fast Track, the Doha talks may have to wait for a new US government (in 2009).