Bush, Barroso discuss trade, Darfur
Jan 8, 2007 (WASHINGTON) — European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso said he and President George W. Bush agreed stalled Doha trade talks had hit a “moment of truth” and urged action to end the Darfur “tragedy.”
Bush welcomed Barroso to the White House for talks which also ranged through climate change, a controversial US visa waiver program, European Union enlargement and the crisis in Iraq.
The US president said he and Barroso had discussed efforts to revive the so-called Doha Round of World Trade Organization talks, now hung up by a dispute over agricultural subsidies.
“We talked about the importance for Europe and the United States to resolve any differences we have when it comes to the Doha round for trade, so that we can promote international trade,” said the US president.
“We believe we can achieve more if we look at it in a comprehensive manner,” Barroso said during a joint public appearance in the Oval Office.
“We are really at defining moment, and we had a very good exchange, and we gave instructions to all negotiators to come with a solution as soon as possible,” said Barroso.
Later, at a press conference, Barroso told reporters the Doha round talks had reached a critical point for the world’s largest economic partners, which trade more than one billion dollars a day in goods.
“President Bush and I agreed that we now face a moment of truth if we want to make progress on the Doha trade negotiations,” Barroso said, as EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson met US Trade Representative Susan Schwab.
“We risk losing all the substantial economic benefits that are on the table, it is too important to fail, we cannot fail.”
Mandelson told Monday’s edition of London’s Times newspaper that the trade talks were on a “knife edge” and would only succeed with Bush’s support.
The two leaders said they had discussed the situation in the Darfur region in Sudan, where fighting has claimed at least 200,000 lives and displaced 2.5 million people, according to the United Nations, though some sources say the toll is much higher.
“I’ve been in Darfur recently. I can tell you that it’s really a tragedy, what’s going on, and we cannot accept that tragedy going on without the united response of the international community,” said Barroso.
“I know that Jose is as committed as I am to helping solve what I’ve called a genocide. It is outrageous that people are being treated the way they are, and I’m confident Europe and the United States can work with other friends and allies around the world to help solve that difficult problem,” said Bush.
The two leaders also said they had discussed the Israel-Palestinian situation, Iran, Iraq, Syria and efforts to combat climate change.
And Barroso also bemoaned the situation where US citizens can travel to all EU countries without a visa, while the citizens of 10 EU states cannot benefit from the US visa waiver program.
(AFP)