President Bush said March 12 that the U.S. is prepared to take a lead role in the final negotiations of the Doha Round but will not make “unilateral concessions” in order to reach an agreement. Speaking at a meeting of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Bush said it is time to conclude the debate and “for leaders to make tough choices that will allow these negotiations to advance.” He stated that the U.S. is pushing for a deal that “opens up global trade flows and creates new opportunities for developed and developing nations alike.”
U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab echoed Bush’s remarks at a press conference the same day. Schwab said that unless a Doha Round agreement is finalized in 2008 it could slip until 2010 or 2011. If that happens, she said, other countries may turn to bilateral and regional free trade agreements instead, which could be damaging to the U.S. because it lacks the trade promotion authority needed to efficiently conclude FTAs of its own.
World Trade/Interactive
