MEDIA REACTION: GLOBAL ECONOMY: DOHA ROUND

UNCLAS SAO PAULO 000407 SIPDIS STATE INR/R/MR; IIP/R/MR; WHA/PD DEPT PASS USTR USDOC 4322/MAC/OLAC/JAFEE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KMDR OPRC OIIP ETRD BR SUBJECT: MEDIA REACTION: GLOBAL ECONOMY: DOHA ROUND The Play from Brazil Editorial in liberal Folha de S. Paulo (7/29) says: "With a food crisis at the door, it seems that the political desire to conclude the Doha Round has emerged. An agreement, even if modest in relation to its initial expectations, would avoid a major weakening of the multilateral trade system. ...Brazil decided to move away from its traditional partners and support the proposal, uniting itself with the U.S., the European Union and Japan. This move reopened the possibility of concluding the negotiations that have already lasted seven years. The thing now is try to convince the others. ... By momentarily keeping its distance from India, China and Argentina, Itamaraty [Brazilian Foreign Affairs Ministry] understood that the game of trade negotiations cannot be done based on rigid surpassed geopolitical schemes." Safeguards Put Doha in Risk Again Editorial in business-oriented Valor Economico (7/29) comments: "Brazil moved away from the G-20 for its own interest, because safeguards are no good for the country. The union was possible while the goal was to conduct a war against the subsidies of the rich countries. It was known that this union would hide adverse interests that would emerge in the final phase. Small advances were achieved before a round that pretended to be focused on "development". It is not certain that negotiations reach a conclusion. Disfigured by the rich countries intransigency, there are serious doubts whether it was worth waiting so long for so little." Story