ICC urges G8 leaders to give political impetus to WTO talks |
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Wed, 23 May 2007 13:27
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PARIS (Thomson Financial) - The International Chamber of Commerce urged G8 leaders to give renewed political impetus to the stalled Doha round of world trade talks at their June 6-8 summit in Heiligendamm, Germany.'Even at this desperately late hour, a good deal can be struck in the Doha round of multilateral trade talks if G8 leaders intensify their diplomatic efforts,' said the ICC, which represents businesses in more than 130 countries.'World leaders need to urgently devote their personal attention to reaching an agreement so that rapid progress can be made on the contours of a balanced package of measures to substantially improve market access in agriculture, industrial products and services, facilitate trade and update WTO rules,' it said in a message to G8 leaders ahead of the summit.It said there is a narrow window of opportunity to forge an agreement in the weeks ahead, but any accord will still require the US Congress to extend President Bush's authority to negotiate trade deals that cannot be picked apart by US lawmakers.The ICC also called on G8 leaders to counter increasing investment protectionism and to step up efforts to prevent counterfeiting and piracy by gathering more accurate data, launching public awareness campaigns of the damage done and improving training and cooperation of national enforcement agencies.The organisation welcomed the G8's focus on energy efficiency but said G8 leaders need to 'keep in mind that investments on the massive scale needed to stimulate innovation will require a more favourable policy and regulatory framework'.steve.whitehouse@thomson.comsw/ms1COPYRIGHTCopyright AFX News Limited 2007. All rights reserved.The copying, republication or redistribution of AFX News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of AFX News.
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