Jon Barnes | 23 January 2006 | www.panos.org
According to the official version of events, the declaration emanating from December’s World Trade Organisation (WTO) summit in Hong Kong provides a rough plan for governments to conclude the current round of talks.
But commentators of different stripes question whether this uneasy compromise will succeed in moving the WTO towards its new deadline of reaching a deal by the end of 2006. They say too little time may be left for governments to overcome the tensions of Hong Kong and agree a blueprint within the first half of this year.
For their part, many WTO critics and campaigners, concerned by the direction of the talks, have suggested that missing this date might actually be desirable if it means avoiding a rushed settlement that’s essentially bad for development.
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