Lamy reiterates call for completion of Doha round negotiations

Geneva, May 26 (Xinhua) The Director-General of the World Trade Organization, Liu Guoyuan, 26th reiterated his appeal to WTO members to push for the success of the Doha round negotiations in order to resist the rising risk of trade protectionism. Speaking at the WTO General Council meeting that day, Lamy said that some people believe that the current global economic crisis has bottomed out, but the social impact of the economic crisis is clearly not yet fully demonstrated.　　He warned that the risks of trade protectionism would rise further as the effects of unemployment and rising prices, such as the economic crisis, increased, and that the multilateral trading system would also face greater pressure.　　He said that the WTO's continued vigilance and monitoring of protectionism was essential, and it was also important for WTO members to continue their efforts to promote the success of the Doha round, as it was only in this way that the multilateral trading system could be consolidated to withstand the "strong winds" of protectionism. Lamy said the multilateral trading system can guarantee transparency, predictability and stability in trade policies, which governments generally believe will provide confidence in global economic activity. He said that while the economic crisis had intensified since the beginning of the year, the political climate in the Doha round had improved, the political contacts among WTO members had increased, and members had expressed support for the speedy success of the negotiations. While the current negotiations are mainly technical-level negotiations, the chairmen of the negotiating groups are doing their best to prepare for the final political dimension of negotiations.