AAFA responds to failed WTO talks
Talks that aimed to secure a global free trade agreement broke down in Geneva this week, and some officials from the World Trade Organization are blaming China, India and the US for their stubbornness during negotiations.
However, the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) has expressed its disappointment over the failed talks and claims the US is not to blame. It says that it and its members are: “frustrated that the latest round of multilateral trade talks under the World Trade Organization had to be suspended because not all countries were willing to make the necessary concessions to open their markets.”
AAFA claims the deal was not a satisfactory one. “Special thanks go to United States trade representative ambassador, Susan Schwab, and the entire US government negotiating team in Geneva and here in Washington, for standing strong and refusing to accept a poor deal just to bring a conclusion to the talks,” said a statement from the group. “It is better to walk away empty handed today, with the hopes of a better negotiation in the future, than to agree to an imbalanced trade agreement.”
And the association calls for greater commitment and flexibility from the various WTO countries involved, saying: “The goal of the ambitious Doha Round is to reduce tariffs significantly and eliminate non-tariff barriers worldwide. To that end, all WTO member countries need to demonstrate strengthened commitment to the process through willingness to adapt and work tirelessly toward a compromise that benefits all. But until there is a successful and proper conclusion to these multilateral trade negotiations, the citizens of the world lose.”
