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Negotiations on agriculture in the World Trade Organisation have been taking place in a small group involving 14 WTO member countries (known as the extended FIPs, five interested parties)

The final working week of July, starting 25 July, will see a spurt of activity at the World Trade Organisation as members try to reach as much agreement as possible on a number of issues.

The chairman of the Doha round's services negotiating group this week told the Trade Negotiations Committee that offers now on the table provide few if any new commercial opportunities to services companies.

The United Nations' top poverty adviser said Monday that African countries should refuse to begin negotiations on a new round of world trade talks if rich nations do not cut farm subsidies and tariffs.

The recent G8 Summit in Gleneagles has been proclamed to be proofof the G8's new commitment to development. However the outcome was mixed, with some progress in aid and debt.

WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi warned that that'progress is nowhere near sufficient in terms of our critical path to Hong Kong,' andthat 'these negotiations are in trouble.'(M.Khor)

As the U.S. House of Representatives moves closer to a vote on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA), much of the debate over the economic costs and benefits to all potential signatories remains unclear.

At the wrap-up of the latest informal trade ministerial meeting conducted by the World Trade Organization yesterday, Deputy US Trade Representative Peter Allgeier made a strong case for a two-coefficient simple 'Swiss' formula to cut industrial tariffs.

A week of discussions (beginning on 4 July) in the Negotiating Group on Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA) ended on the morning of 7 July with indications that the end-July target for coming up with 'first approximations' on the deal to be taken to Hong Kong was not likely to be met.(M.Khor)

Negotiations on agriculture ended Wednesday with the Chairperson Tim Groser concluding that the chances are unlikely at this stage that he will be able to produce a 'first approximation' of the full modalities on agriculture by the end of July.