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Trade ministers from around the world have agreed to hold meetings in London and Geneva through the coming week in an effort to rescue plans for a global trade pact that is at an impasse over agriculture issues.

A failed summit of leaders of the Western Hemisphere dealt a blow to global trade liberalization and strengthened the influence of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, a critic of the U.S. who favors protectionism and old-style socialism.

The European Union's offer to cut agricultural import tariffs does not go far enough and puts prospects for a new global trade pact in jeopardy

The United States said talks next week among five key players in the World Trade Organisation would prove crucial to success or failure at a WTO meeting in Hong Kong next month.

While the world is debating European and American proposals to cut agriculture subsidies in a bid to revive World Trade Organization negotiations in Hong Kong next month, the U.S. Congress may be poised to undermine the effort.

While the world is debating European and American proposals to cut agriculture subsidies in a bid to revive World Trade Organization negotiations in Hong Kong next month, the U.S. Congress may be poised to undermine the effort.

The Special Session of the Committee on Trade and Development of the WTO met on 27 October to further consider in particular five Least Developed Country Agreement-specific proposals on Special and Differential Treatment, on which no consensus has been reached by Members so far.

The Group of 33 developing countries in the WTO agriculture negotiations has submitted to the WTO a proposal on a special safeguard mechanism(SSM) for developing countries.

The latest set of proposals by the European Union at the World Trade Organisation which seeks to impose extreme levels of liberalisation on the developing countries is in stark contradiction to a recent speech made by the Trade Minister of the United Kingdom, which presently holds the Presidency of the European Union. This begs the question: Who really speaks for Europe?

Initial reactions to the European Union's 28 October proposal on agriculture have been mainly unfavourable, with some countries calling it disappointing and others finding it unacceptable, for various reasons.