Cairns Group calls for return to Doha talks

Ministers from the Cairns Group of agricultural exporters called Tuesday for protectionism to be resisted and urged a revival of global trade liberalisation talks. "Concluding the Doha Development Agenda must remain the top priority of WTO (World Trade Organisation) members," said the 19-nation group, which is responsible for a quarter of the world's total agricultural output.
In a joint statement released at the end of its 35th conference in the upscale Uruguayan resort of Punta del Este, the group also called for the elimination of export subsidies in three years time.