World trade talks hit further stumbling blocks

MORE obstacles to WTO agreements on freer world trade emerged ahead of this week’s London and Geneva talks.

Trade delegations were in the dark ahead of today’s scheduled US Congress vote on whether to extend a huge subsidy deal for American farmers for four years, to 2011. If US lawmakers vote to extend subsidies, huge doubts will be raised over the Bush administration’s ability to win political support for proposed subsidy cuts in a WTO agreement.

Last week, WTO negotiations on agriculture hit yet another snag, when developing countries demanded that issues of central importance to them be addressed.