路透华盛顿10月1日电---世界贸易组织(WTO)总干事拉米周一承认,WTO在贸易自由化方面是个"令人失望"的场合,但他称全球贸易谈判之所以濒于垂死境地,中国及美国均难辞其咎.

拉米在布鲁金斯研究所的演说中表示,WTO在2001年开始的多哈会谈显然无法在短期内达成广泛的协议.

但他说,WTO成员国仍有可能在一些领域取得进展,例如扩大1996年资讯技术协议以免除高科技贸易的关税,并在一群有兴趣的成员国之间协商出新的国际服务业协议.

美国驻WTO大使Michael Punke上月对华府议员说,WTO"正处於十字路口",因为它既无法达成多哈协议,也无法阻止中国、印度及巴西抗拒计画中的服务业谈判.

"我们的看法是,WTO若不先正视问题,就无法解决问题,"Punke说.

美国将多哈回合谈判陷入僵局的很大责任归咎於主要发展中国家,称他们未能提供充足的市场开放新机会,以换取提议降低美国农业补贴和关税.

发展中国家反驳称,华盛顿要求发展中国家改革的代价太高,且启动多哈谈判主旨在帮助贫穷国家扩大贸易规模.

拉米指出,达成多哈回合协议的主要障碍是,美国和中国围绕如何降低富国及发展中国家的工业品关税上存在争议.

"若美中两国就工业品关税问题达成妥协,整个局面将改观,"他说.

拉米承认世贸组织有关开放新市场的期望已经落空,但为WTO在其他领域的运作辩解.

"如果WTO的谈判职能一直令人失望,但我们的组织在其他领域已变得更具效率,如监测和报告这场危机开始以来的贸易限制性措施,"他说.

他还盛赞WTO在化解贸易紧张关系上发挥的作用.

"在贸易紧张局势逐步升级之际,WTO的争端解决机制通过基於规则的、可预见和受尊重的过程来消除争执.今年以来的诉讼案件已达去年全年的三倍,这并非意外事件,"他指出.

拉米表示,需要达成新的全球共识,以解决监管层面贸易障碍的滋生蔓延,而近来"一些WTO成员国"提高关税表明全球围绕降低关税上限达成新协议将至关重要.他将於明年卸任世界贸易组织总干事.

他并未提及这些国家的名字,但巴西已在今年提高部分商品的关税.(完)

来源：http://cn.reuters.com/article/CNTopGenNews/idCNCNE89102420121002

 

 原文——

The geopolitical landscape is increasingly complex, but tough challenges did not deter the United States 50 years ago when President John F. Kennedy signed legislation creating what became the U.S. Trade Representative's office, Lamy said.

"The world was gripped by the Cuban missile crisis. The U.S. was looking with some perplexity at the consolidation of the European Common Market. Yet, President Kennedy noted it was no time to stagnate behind tariff walls, but to promote increased economic activity through increased trade," Lamy noted.

The WTO will hold its next ministerial meeting in Indonesia in late 2013. Lamy resisted setting that as a deadline for scaled-down Doha package, but added it was possible to achieve for negotiators to achieve several agreements by then, including China's accession to the WTO government procurement pact.

* US says WTO can't fix problems without acknowledging them

* Lamy says WTO effective, even if trade talks disappointing

* WTO chief asks experts to recommend future path for WTO

By Doug Palmer

WASHINGTON, Oct 1 (Reuters) - World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy on Monday acknowledged the Geneva-based grouping has been a "disappointing" forum for trade liberalization but placed the blame for moribund world trade talks on both China and the United States.

Lamy, in a speech to the Brookings Institution, said it was clear a comprehensive agreement in the Doha round of world trade talks launched in 2001 "is out of reach in the short term."

But it may still be possible for WTO members to make advances in some areas, such as expanding the 1996 Information Technology Agreement to eliminate duties on more high-tech trade and negotiating a new international services agreement among an interested set of WTO members, he said.

Lamy also said he has assembled a panel of 12 experts, including U.S. Chamber of Commerce President Tom Donohue, to recommend by early next year a future course for the WTO.

Last month, U.S. Ambassador to the WTO Michael Punke told Washington lawmakers the WTO was "at a crossroads" because of its failure to reach a Doha agreement as well as the resistance of China, Brazil and India to the proposed services talks.

"Our view is the WTO can't fix its problems without first acknowledging them," Punke said.

The United States puts much of the blame for the impasse in the Doha round on major developing countries, which it says failed to offer sufficient new market openings in exchange for proposed cuts in U.S. farm subsidies and tariffs.

Developing countries say Washington demanded too rich a price for its reforms and the Doha negotiations were launched primarily to help poor countries increase trade.

Lamy said the main obstacle to a Doha round agreement was a dispute between the United States and China over how much to cut industrial tariffs for rich and developing countries.

"If the U.S. and China would agree on a compromise on industrial tariff problems, I would tell you the whole picture would change," he said.

Lamy conceded the WTO has fallen short of expectations in opening new markets, but defended its other operations.

"If the WTO's negotiating function has been disappointing, our organization has become more effective in other areas," such as the monitoring and reporting of trade restrictive measures imposed since the crisis began, he said.

He also lauded the WTO's role in defusing trade tensions.

"In an atmosphere of escalating trade tensions, the Dispute Settlement Mechanism has taken the heat out of disputes through a process, which is rules-based, predictable and respected. It is no accident that we have already had three times as many cases filed this year as in all of 2011," he said.

Lamy, who steps down as WTO head next year, said a new global consensus was needed to tackle a proliferation of regulatory trade barriers, while recent tariff increases by "certain WTO members" show why it would be valuable to reach a new global deal cutting tariff ceilings.

He did not mention countries by name, but Brazil has increased tariffs on a number of goods this year.