MONTREAL - Cocooned inside a luxury hotel while protesters rampaged through the streets outside, trade ministers from 25 countries sought to find compromises Monday to disputes over agricultural trade, investment and reducing the prices of vital drugs for the world's poor.
The ministers were in Montreal at the invitation of Canadian Trade Minister Pierre Pettigrew to try to find solutions to problems negotiators and diplomats have so far failed to resolve at the Geneva-based World Trade Organization.
A small group of protesters, opposed to what they consider the enrichment of developed countries at the expense of poor nations, rampaged through downtown Montreal, smashing store windows and attacking U.S. symbols.
"Capital is moving across borders with increasing frequency on the backs of the poorest and most marginalized people of the world," declared one protester, Tony Tracy, who works for the homeless in Toronto.
The protesters smashed windows at a Burger King restaurant and a Gap clothing store on Montreal's main shopping street and attacked a Canadian Forces recruitment center before police dispersed them. Police said they made about 100 arrests.
Negotiators attending the three days of talks expressed confidence progress could be made in bridging differences before a meeting of all 146 members of the WTO in Cancun, Mexico, in September.
That meeting must make a number of difficult decisions if the WTO is to achieve its aim of completing an international treaty on opening trade by the end of next year.
"People do seem to understand the stakes involved here. We have this opportunity for us to make a major positive contribution to the international economic system," said Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Peter Allgeier.
When ministers launched the negotiations, in Doha, Qatar, in November 2001, they aimed to make big cuts in import tariffs on goods and services as a way to boost the global economy.
But disagreements remain on how to go about doing it, especially in the sensitive area of agriculture, where the European Union (news - web sites) is facing demands to cut its massive farm subsidy program and make big cuts to import tariffs. Brussels says it won't consider this unless some of its demands are met.
Uruguayan WTO Ambassador Carlos Perez del Castillo, who chairs the body's General Council, said Montreal would be a chance for countries to start softening their positions.
"I expect signals of possible movements and I expect signals of possible trade-offs," he said. "In the absence of signals of substantial movement in some key areas like agriculture, I think our task will be very difficult."
Ministers also must decide whether to start new negotiations in the controversial area of investment rules — a plan supported by most rich nations, but rejected by poor countries who fear they will have no control over foreign multinationals operating on their territory.
Negotiators already acknowledge some of the things they need to do in Cancun will be difficult, if not impossible.
"When ministers concluded Doha, what they actually did was plant a fruit tree," said Swiss chief negotiator Luzius Wasescha. "They will look at the fruits in Cancun.
"When you try to press a fruit which isn't ripe, you don't get juice. We have to look in Cancun to see if the fruit is growing."
FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. NoNonsense English offers this material non-commercially for research and educational purposes. I believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C § 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner, i.e. the media service or newspaper which first published the article online and which is indicated at the top of the article unless otherwise specified.