FAO SEES NO ALTERNATIVE TO MULTILATERAL TRADE TALKS

FAO SEES NO ALTERNATIVE TO MULTILATERAL TRADE TALKS

Agency Urges Countries to Resume Trade Negotiations

ROME, 18 September (FAO) -- After the failure of the world trade talks in Cancún, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)today urged countries to consider seriously informal contacts with a view to returning to the negotiation table, with a better outcome this time.

“The collapse of the World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Cancún should not be the end of trade talks in an international framework”, the FAO said.

“Much is at stake for developed and developing countries regarding a level playing field in world trade.  It is time for governments to recognize that a fair and open multilateral trading system is in the social and economic interests of their entire societies, rich and poor alike”, the FAO said.

“If we want to improve the living conditions of millions of people in developing countries and reduce the number of more than 800 million chronically hungry people, these countries need investment to improve their productive capacity and competitiveness, but also a better chance to sell their products on the world market.”

The FAO called it “regrettable” that in Cancún countries could not find a fair agreement on agricultural trade issues.

“There are no viable alternatives to the multilateral trade talks, and when the psychological constraints of the forthcoming national political events are removed, countries should consider returning to the negotiating table before the momentum is lost”, the agency said.

For more information, contact:  Erwin Northoff, Information Officer, FAO;e-mail:  Erwin.northoff@fao.org; tel.:  (+39) 06 570 53105; FAO Newsroom:  http://www.fao.org/english/newsroom/

* *** *