Doha Still A Top Concern

House Ag Committee Chairman Tom Harkin and Ranking Member Saxby Chambliss of the Senate’s Agriculture Committee led 22 Senators in writing to President Bush, urging him not to allow time pressure to trump the achievement of a balanced agreement in the Doha Round agricultural trade negotiations, USAgNet reports. Lawmakers wrote that if substantial improvements are not made to the July framework, any modalities agreement will not benefit U.S. agriculture or the economy and will not have Congressional support.

“We continue to support a successful completion of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations, begun in 2001, but only if it achieves the principal objectives of the United States and the ambitious goals of the original ministerial declaration for agriculture,” the Senators said. “Absent substantial improvements in the July framework, any modalities agreement will not benefit U.S. agriculture and will not have our support.” ❖