DEMARCHE DELIVERED: WTO DOHA ROUND NEGOTIATIONS

UNCLAS GEORGETOWN 000642 SIPDIS USTR WASHINGTON FOR DWOSKIN/ROHDE USTR GENEVA FOR ALLGEIER/SHARK STATE/EB FOR CMOORE/WCRAFT SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: WTRO ETRD ECON GY SUBJECT: DEMARCHE DELIVERED: WTO DOHA ROUND NEGOTIATIONS (GUYANA) ¶1. EconOff delivered reftel talking points to Chairman of the National Committee for External Negotiations (NACEN) Neville Totaram. Totaram agreed to pass the message to Minister of Foreign Trade Clement Rohee, who is en route to Geneva. Totaram observed that all the "technical arguments had been exhausted" and that political will is the only way to resolve competing proposals. Totaram also shared the notes on a recent Caribbean Regional Negotiating Machinery preparation session, which focused on divisions within developing countries' positions. He noted the consensus that if "the big countries won't move (read Brazil, China and India),we won't either". Totaram also anticipated that a meeting between Caribbean and South American trade ministers would occur on the margins of the WTO negotiations, as this had been discussed during the meeting of Rio Group trade delegates, none of whom were the trade ministers themselves, in Georgetown in mid-June. ¶2. On a related matter, Totaram said that Rohee met with the Paraguayan representative at the Rio group meeting to pressure for the CBTPA waiver. Paraguay agreed to discuss again on the margins of the Geneva meeting. BULLEN