Michael: > How much do you think that the muck up in Iraq gave > the G 21 courage to stand up?
I don't know about that but this is what my State Minister Tuzmen asked to do. How happy I would have been had my country also stood up with the G-21. I doubt that he and others representing my country there had the guts to do that though. Sabri ++++++++ Zaman/English edition: http://www.zaman.com Turkey to Mediate WTO Dispute over Agricultural Subsidies Cancun, Mexico, September 14, 2003 - At the World Trade Organization conference in Cancun, Mexico, differences remain between the USA, Europe and developing countries over agricultural subsidies. Out of the 146 participating countries, many developing countries are saying that agricultural subsidies should be removed, something the USA and European Union members have been reluctant to do. A group of 21 countries have been leading the fight, including: Brazil, China, South Africa, Argentina, India, Pakistan, Mexico, and Egypt. Recently, Nigeria and Kenya have joined this group, bringing the number of countries that officially oppose America and the European Union to 23. Turkey also wants agricultural subsidies to be removed, but it did not join the declaration issued by these countries. Developing countries oppose subsidies because of the unfair advantage rich countries enjoy. Despite low production costs, developing countries cannot compete with heavily subsidised agricultural products produced in the developed world. At a deadlock, the British, French, and Italian ministers asked State Minister Kursad Tuzmen, who is representing Turkey at the conference, 'to mediate'. Minister Tuzmen, in a speech he made the previous day, had asked for balanced and just trade, and also for an end to farm subsidies. Article at: http://www.zaman.com/default.php?kn=4124
