The Bush administration is disappointed by what it sees as a spurious new case at the World Trade Organisation court against multibillion dollar US farm subsidies, the US government said on Monday.
Gretchen Hamel, a spokeswoman for US Trade Representative Susan Schwab, said in a statement that the WTO court had formally set in motion the challenges from Brazil and Canada, who argue that US subsidies violate world trade rules.
"We are disappointed that Canada and Brazil have decided to move forward with WTO dispute proceedings in this matter. This case represents an unnecessary diversion of time, resources, and attention from the important tasks before us in the Doha (trade) negotiations," Hamel said.