U.S. lays out principles for limited WTO Doha package

{mosads}During the Doha round, the U.S. has said that linked to a general program of tariff and subsidies cuts, U.S. cotton programs should be cut deeper than others. These programs are popular with members of Congress from Tennessee to Texas.

Brazil and various West African countries have been pushing for cotton to be in the early harvest package.

“We have always been honest that a cotton outcome that is disconnected from a broad and significant set of outcomes in agriculture and other elements of the DDA would be hard for us — very hard,” Punke said Monday, indicating the U.S. is resisting divorcing cotton from a final comprehensive deal.

Punke said that if the early harvest agreement postpones the final deal indefinitely, “we will be doing fundamental damage to the institution.”

“For the United States, a core principle of our work going forward is this: All major players must make a meaningful contribution to any package of deliverables for 2011,” he said, adding “we are frankly concerned that we are hearing more from some about what they cannot do rather than what they can do.”

The poorest countries have for years hoped the Doha round would lead to “duty-free, quota-free” access to the developed world. Punke noted in his remarks that some LDCs are divided on the question since they fear the special access they get under certain trade agreements and trade preference programs could be eroded.