Export subsidies agreement closer
The TransAtlantic Business Dialogue (TABD) made the call in a wide ranging report to President George W Bush, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and EU Commission President Romano Prodi.
It urged the leaders to unlock the political and technical impasse in agriculture, where it said access to OECD markets is indispensable for development and poverty alleviation.
Last month, the EU announced it was prepared to move towards phasing out export subsidies in a bid to kick-start the talks.
But the offer was made conditional on all other parties, including the US, being prepared to take similar action.
There was a furious reaction from the Irish farm and agri-business sector, which claimed the move represented a particular threat to Ireland's beef and dairy industries because of their high dependence on export markets.
Progress has since been reported on the key agriculture element of the talks in Geneva with a major ongoing effort to agree a framework in the next few weeks.
EU Farm Commissioner Dr Franz Fischler warned, however, that the EU could not accept a text which had clear commitments on export competition and domestic support with only vague language on market access.
On domestic support, he said the EU continues to be in an offensive position following CAP reform. The main emphasis now in the negotiations is on how to ensure the US will have to undertake real reforms.
The EU offer to WTO members to end all export subsidies provided others did the same had been considered a very useful input in the process, particularly as regards export competition.
US Commerce Secretary Donald Evans told a pre-summit gathering in Adare Manor, Co Limerick, he was very optimistic the negotiations on the agricultural part of the WTO talks will be successful in the weeks ahead.
"The target is to have a framework by which to go forward by the end of July," he said, adding that the process is helped by the members of TABD and the other constituents they represent making it one of their focus issues.
EU Enterprise Commissioner Jan Figel said the Commission is determined to proceed with the issues. His colleagues Pascal Lamy (Trade) and Franz Fischler (Agriculture and Food) had put forward proposals to kick-start the talks.
WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi said last week it was essential to achieve the collective goal of reaching a framework by the end of July if the broad-based Doha Development Agenda round of trade talks was to succeed.
