Brussels, 03/04/2007 (Agence Europe) - Big players from the G4 (the EU, US, Brazil and India) and the G6 (G4 plus Australia and Japan) are still seeking a compromise solution on the figures and other details of liberalising farm trade and trade in manufactured products (NAMAs in the WTO jargon) - is it true that they are close to striking a deal? As far as the Brazilian president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is concerned, recently returned from a tour in the United States where he met the US president, George W. Bush, for the second time in a month, following President Bush's visit to South America early in March 2007, the Doha trade talks may even be concluded within the next month. During his weekly radio interview, Lula said that George Bush had told him at Camp David last Sunday that a deal would address the concerns of both wealthy and poor nations and a deal could be reached in the next month. Lula didn't give any details of what the deal might involve. Brazil is chairing the G20 group of emerging economies and Lula explained that he would be continuing his telephone talks with President Bush and UK Prime minister Tony Blair and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Lula's optimism was echoed by chief Brazilian negotiator, Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, who said that the US and Brazilian presidents had discussed a timetable for drawing the negotiations over an overall trade deal to a close by the end of May. Amorim stressed the two leaders' political will to conclude the trade deal. 'When leaders such as President Bush and President Lula say they want to reach a deal in 30 days, they are not playing', explained the Brazilian foreign minister in an interview with Dow Jones. He added that the two world leaders 'would not make such a political disclosure if it had no basis in truth'. This newsletter contacted Commission sources on Tuesday, but they declined to comment. The main EU negotiators at the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer-Boel, have regretted the absence of new offerings from the US and Brazil in recent weeks in the farm talks (on domestic support) and manufactured products. Amorim said that he would be meeting with Peter Mandelson, US Trade Secretary Susan Schwab and Indian Trade Minister Kamal Nath at the G4 and G6 talks in New Delhi, India, on 12-13 April, and ministers would be meeting again in May. (eh)