archives: WTO InfoBusiness Roundatable Readies Campaign To Back Doha Round, Gear Up for Cancun
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2003 15:26:16 +0200
National Journal's Congress Daily
TRADE
BRT Readies P.R. Campaign To Back Global Trade TalksLeading business groups will soon begin a coordinated, multimillion dollar effort to stir up popular support for the current World Trade Organization round of trade negotiations, hoping to ensure completion of the round as scheduled by the end of next year. WTO negotiators last month failed to meet a key deadline in their talks on agriculture, and there is concern that disagreement over the war with Iraq and a variety of simmering trade disputes could push the talks off of their timetable. The negotiations are viewed as a hugely complex undertaking loaded with pitfalls, and anti-trade demonstrators in recent years have seized the spotlight at major trade meetings. The new effort to popularize the trade discussions was revealed Wednesday by Business Roundtable President John Castellani during an interview with Congress Daily.
The campaign, set to begin by early June, will be spearheaded by the BRT and its counterparts in Mexico, Canada, Europe and Japan. It will include initiatives such as advertising and discussions with editorial boards to gain "as much public awareness as possible of the benefits of a successful completion of the round," Castellani said, adding, "Some of the studies show that almost $3 trillion of wealth could be created by 2015 if we eliminate the preponderance of the tariffs and the barriers that are out there." Castellani indicated it was too early to pinpoint exactly how much would be spent, noting the campaign would be waged over a long period leading up to the scheduled end of the talks. Among the groups he said would be involved are the European Round Table of Industrialists, the Canadian Council of Chief Executives and the International Chamber of Commerce. While efforts will be coordinated and joint statements will be issued, each group will focus its drive within its own country, Castellani said.
Castellani also pledged to work "aggressively" to gain congressional approval of free trade deals with Chile and Singapore, both of which are likely to be considered this year. He said he had detected no serious harm done by Chile's refusal to support the U.S.-backed U.N. Security Council resolution that would have paved the way for the use of force in Iraq. Chile's decision provoked anger on Capitol Hill, and no date has been set for the United States and Chile to sign the completed treaty, after which congressional consideration could begin. While others in the business community have broached their own suggestions for further free trade agreements, Castellani declined to offer any suggestions, expressing satisfaction with deals Trade Representative Zoellick is pursuing with countries and regions such as Australia, South Africa, Morocco and Central America. "I think they're all good," he said. — by Keith Koffler
Lori M. Wallach
Director
Public Citizen's Global Trade Watch
215 Pennsylvania Ave SE
Washington, DC USA 20003
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www.tradewatch.org
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