Trade talks end on sour note

GENEVA, Switzerland, Oct. 20 (UPI) -- Global trade talks ended in Geneva Thursday with negotiators fretting about prospects for upcoming World Trade Organization talks.

Some negotiators said Europe's defense of its agriculture program jeopardizes the WTO meeting in December. U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman expressed deep concern over global trade talks on the so-called Doha Round, saying that the European Union's refusal to make a new offer on tariff cuts to open market access could derail talks.

"The failure of the EU to put a real market access proposal forward puts Doha at risk," said Portman, in a conference call with reporters from Geneva. "What is more disconcerting to us, probably, was the lack of a concern about the time crunch that we face. There was not only a lack of proposal but a seeming lack of urgency despite the fact that we are facing this deadline in Hong Kong."

Just 54 days remain until the eminent Hong Kong ministerial conference, a gathering of world trade ministers from the five interested parties -- the United States, the European Union, India, Brazil and Australia. The ministers have been meeting regularly to try to conclude talks on the remaining agriculture negotiations.