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July 26, 2008

Are WTO talks dead?

U.S. negotiators are bashing Tier 1 developing nations, such as Argentina and India (named) along with Brazil, etc., for resisting a Doha-round deal My odds? 3-2 that it will turn up dead at the end.

And, at least 3-2 odds that, even though Obama is actually a free-trader at heart, that it will NOT be picked up, in a new form, for at least two years after the change of administration, if he’s in power. Ditto on McCain, because Dems will control Congress anyway.

The EU is still divided, with many concerns. One issue is the geographic designations for agriculture within EU rules, such as Parmesan cheese only coming from that area, etc. Both the U.S. and Canada oppose that, but this is, I know an absolute deal killer for Italy and France, if the designations are not extended to the WTO.

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