As published in Politis Newspaper on Friday, August 25 (p.8)

[Ελληνικά - pdf]

United States Still Committed to Freer Global Trade

An Op-Ed by U.S. Chargé d'Affaires, a.i., Jane B. Zimmerman

Though formal talks have been suspended, America remains committed to the successful conclusion of the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations of the World Trade Organization (WTO). As President Bush remarked on July 31: "We'll do everything we can to get Doha back on track.... Completing the Doha Round is going to demand tough choices. We're willing to make those choices, and other nations should as well. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to jump-start global trade and create opportunities around the world."

My government is proud to be playing a leadership role in these efforts: helping to launch the Round in 2001, reviving it in 2004, and jumpstarting it with an ambitious offer on agricultural trade in 2005. As we move forward, America will continue to be guided by fundamental principles about trade and development.

First, there is no better way to alleviate poverty and encourage development than to break down trade barriers. Though t he United States is the world's largest single-country donor of official development assistance, we know that no amount of assistance can match the benefits to the developing world as can the reduction in barriers to trade. T he World Bank has estimated that elimination of these barriers would create a $142 billion income gain for developing countries alone.

Second, increased market access, particularly in agricultural goods, is key to fostering development. Agriculture is burdened with far greater tariffs and more trade-distorting support than other sectors, and it is of special economic importance to developing countries. Last fall, the United States offered dramatic changes to its farm programs, and we remain willing to go even further to achieve a successful outcome for the Doha Round. But our trading partners must also follow suit and bring down tariffs and other barriers far more than proposed.

Third, a successful Doha outcome must include market access openings from both the developed world and advanced developing countries. Cyprus, as a new EU member state, can make an important contribution to this effort by helping forge greater consensus across the Atlantic. A generous EU offer on agricultural market access, matching that of the United States, would go a long way towards achieving this objective. A services-based economy and a net contributor to the EU budget, Cyprus has every reason to work with its EU partners for more flexibility on agricultural market access.

WTO members made progress on many fronts over the last five years of Doha negotiations, but we still have a long way to go in achieving a robust, comprehensive, and balanced final agreement. America remains firmly committed to that goal and invites our trading partners to join us in advancing this unique opportunity to expand global economic growth and, consequently, bring millions of people out of poverty.