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The historic free-trade negotiations between Canada and the European Union were launched to much fanfare this month, but reaching a deal between the 27-country economic bloc and the provincially dominated federation of Canada will not be a walk in the park.

U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk in a series of private and public gatherings this week in Geneva stressed the need for trading partners to consider new ideas to help break the current impasse in the Doha round of global trade talks, but also said the U.S. would look to build on the work done so far rather than scrapping it.

But I am acutely conscious that this focus on the traditional agenda, appropriate though it is, should not obscure the vital need to refresh the mandate of the WTO to deal with tomorrow's problems. Here, the interface between the international trade agenda and the climate change agenda looms larger than any single issue.

United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk met with representatives of key World Trade Organization member countries May 11 for a first round of exchanges on how to get the stalled Doha trade talks back on track and towards a successful conclusion.

GENEVA (Reuters) - International trade is part of the solution to the global food crisis and not one of its causes, the head of the World Trade Organization said on Sunday.

The 32nd Congress of the International Metalworkers Federation held in Sweden this week resolved to mobilise metalworkers around the world for trade policies aimed at creating good jobs for all, promoting the fundamental workers’ rights and ensuring the right for all countries to development and to decent working and living conditions for their citizens.

Geneva heaves a sigh of relief. With Kamal Nath moved out of the Indian Commerce Ministry, the probability of concluding the contentious Doha Development Round of the WTO appears much brighter. Not that Kamal Nath was un-necessarily throwing spanners but his strong grip over the trade negotiations helped India to resist bullying and arm-twisting by the big boys of international trade.

As a result of increasing parliamentary and public concern, Bill C-23, the implementing legislation for the Canada-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), has been removed from the Canadian government's current legislative agenda.