TIMELINE: Key dates in WTO's Doha round
(Reuters) - Talks between four of the world's big trade powers collapsed on Thursday, throwing the future of global World Trade Organization (WTO) talks on free commerce into deeper crisis.
Following are some of the key dates in the WTO's Doha round:
Nov 2001 - WTO members meeting in Qatar agree to launch Doha round of multilateral talks with an emphasis on development and opening markets in agriculture, manufacturing and services. Countries set a goal to finish the round by Jan 1, 2005.
Jan 2002 - Talks get off to promising start with quick selection of chairman to head negotiating groups in Geneva, the WTO's headquarters.
Oct 2002 - WTO Director-General Supachai Panitchpakdi expresses concern about the slow pace of talks.
March 2003 - Countries miss deadline for deciding on formula to cut agricultural tariffs, domestic support and export subsidies. Similar deadlines are missed in the manufacturing talks and services negotiations begin to fall badly behind.
Sept 2003 - Developing countries savage U.S.-EU agricultural proposal at a ministerial meeting in Cancun, Mexico, and form the G20 negotiating block led by India and Brazil. Conference chairman Luis Ernesto Derbez ends the acrimonious conference, saying it was impossible in the time left to bridge differences.
Jan 2004 - U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick encourages countries to pick up pieces from Cancun and begin again.
July 2004 - Negotiators agree in Geneva on a framework for finishing the round, but put off the toughest decisions.
Jan 1, 2005 - WTO members miss deadline for finishing round.
Dec 2005 - The WTO holds its fifth ministerial meeting in Hong Kong. Countries agree to eliminate agricultural export subsidies by 2013, but again fail to agree on formula for cutting domestic farm subsidies and tariffs.
April 2006 - Negotiators miss new agriculture and manufacturing deadlines set in Hong Kong.
July 2006 - WTO Director-General Pascal Lamy suspends the negotiations after the G6 comprised of the United States, European Union, Brazil, India, Japan and Australia fail to break the impasse on agriculture.
Feb 2007 - After months of bilateral and small group consultations, Lamy declares multilateral negotiations in Geneva back in full swing.
May 2007 - Lamy warns Doha failure would mean "breaking the commitment for a more developing-friendly world trading system."
June 2007 - U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab, EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath meet in Potsdam to see if they can break the impasse. The talks collapse with India and Brazil complaining the United States and the European Union were demanding too much new manufacturing market access in exchange for cutting farm subsidies and tariffs.
