Poor countries flex muscles at WTO talks

Global trade talks were confronted with growing pressure from poorer countries, with African cotton producers and Latin American banana exporters leading the charge for fairer treatment.

World Trade Organization ministers held a third day of talks in Hong Kong following sharp criticism late Wednesday of the United States and the European Union over cotton subsidies and banana tariffs.
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The group of least developed countries in the WTO predicted in a statement that "day three is likely to see a hardening of positions unless developed countries begin to offer tangible concessions."

And in a surprisingly sharp comment, World Bank Vice President Danny Leipziger said: "The major trading economies of the developed world are keeping the big issues off the table, and as long as that happens, the poor will suffer."

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