The United States is prepared to reduce agricultural subsidies but wants to ensure market access for goods, President George W. Bush said on Saturday during a tour of Latin America.
At a news conference in Uruguay, Bush said he had spoken with President Tabare Vazquez about advancing the Doha round of trade global trade talks and that he was optimistic a deal could be reached. A day earlier, in Brazil, Bush and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva also expressed optimism on progress in the Doha talks.
World leaders have made a renewed effort this year to complete a global free trade deal after talks stalled in 2006. "The United States is fully prepared to reduce agricultural subsidies, we just want to make sure there is market access for our products," Bush said.
Major South American agricultural producers such as Brazil were key to putting the brakes on Doha as they and other emerging economies insisted the United States reduce subsidies for farms and the European Union cut agricultural import tariffs.