Brazil says agriculture remains stumbling block at world trade talks

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil_Developed nations' agricultural subsidies and farm good tariffs remain the biggest obstacles to an agreement on the long-stalled Doha round of World Trade Organization talks, Brazil's foreign minister said Monday. Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said the latest proposals are too vague and may even represent a step backward for the talks, named after the Qatar capital where they began in 2001. "The text made no advances in terms of market access," Amorim said, following a meeting of ministers from the Southern Cone Common Market, known as Mercosur, to prepare for talks in Geneva next week. "Our common position is that the motor is agriculture and the velocity has not yet been defined." The talks have hit a stalemate because of a standoff between developing nations _ which want more access for their... [read full story]