EU and U.S. to Discuss Doha Round Revival

European Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton said today she will discuss the long-running Doha round of WTO-sponsored trade talks for the first time with United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk on Saturday. "I haven't spoken with him specifically about Doha yet," Ashton said. "But we are both going to South Africa for Saturday's presidential inauguration ... this will be the next big conversation we will have this weekend."

U.S. and EU officials also said that Ashton and Kirk would meet with Pascal Lamy, director-general of the World Trade Organization, in Geneva next Tuesday to discuss the long-delayed Doha Round of talks, first launched in 2001. Ashton said she had spoken regularly with Kirk since he became chief U.S. trade negotiator but they "had not discussed Doha in detail." Ashton added, "There is great concern in the U.S. to complete the deal."

Contact Alan Field at afield@joc.com .