Doha round on death bed, WTO director general acknowledges

He said that other areas of the agreement, such as trade in agriculture or services could be “doable” if enough political pressure is applied. 

But the manufactured tariff issues are proving too difficult, he said.

He said that is the area “where the differences today are effectively blocking progress and putting into serious doubt the conclusion of the Round this year.”

WTO diplomats will meet April 29 to try to chart a path forward.

The goal of the Doha round initially was to expand trading opportunities for the poorest countries, but fights between the United States and European Union on the one hand and India, Brazil and China on the other over tariffs has stalled it for years. 

There has been increasing clamor in the United States to abandon the round or “harvest” the pieces that can be salvaged. Lamy in his statement on the new texts argues that stopping and rebooting the round will only lead diplomats back to the same place they are today.