June 30, 2006
Mark Weisbrot presented at a Congressional briefing organized by Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch and sponsored by Representatives Duncan Hunter and Tim Ryan. At the briefing, which examined the projected gains from the completion of the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations, Mark pointed to findings from economists at the World Bank that showed the gains would be largely negligible. Mark was joined by fellow panelists Yvette Pena Lopes, Legislative Representative for the Teamsters, Dave Frengel of Manufacturers for Fair Trade, and Lori Wallach, Director of Public Citizen’s Global Trade Watch. Over thirty staffers and journalists attended the briefing. This meeting took place at a critical time: as the WTO convened an “emergency” mini-ministerial in a “moment-of-truth” effort to salvage negotiations that failed in December. The Doha Round negotiations have stalled during the last two ministerial meetings – in Cancún and Hong Kong – on several major issues.
