WTO to Enforce Kyoto Restrictions? (by William Norman Grigg) - The New American Online - March 14, 2006

"How's this for the lead sentence of a news article from the near future: 'The World Trade Organization has ruled that the United States broke international trade rules by failing to curb carbon emissions,'" wrote Andrew Leonard in the February 24 issue of Salon. In this fashion, the World Trade Organization would essentially become the body responsible for enforcing the UN's Kyoto treaty on so-called greenhouse gases.

"Free Trade" Impacts Sovereignty (by John F. McManus) - The New American - February 20, 2006

America's ability to make its own laws and rules in every aspect of life is being transferred piecemeal to the UN's World Trade Organization. (Click here to view Mr. McManus's brief video, "The John Birch Society on the United Nations.")

Congress Bows to WTO and EU -- Scraps 'Byrd Amendment' Anti-dumping Law - AFP (via Yahoo!) - December 21, 2005

On Wednesday Congress voted to scrap the "Byrd Amendment," an anti-dumping law, which had been ruled illegal by the World Trade Organization.

WTO Negotiators Agree to End Farm Subsidies by 2013 - AP (via Yahoo!) - December 19, 2005

Excerpt: WTO negotiators cut a last-minute deal Sunday on ending farm export subsidies and other trade barriers, claiming modest progress toward their goal of forging a global trade pact by late 2006.

U.S., U.K. Focus on Promoting New WTO Trade Pact at G7 Meeting - AP (via Yahoo!) - December 2, 2005

Leaders from the U.S. and U.K. are using a gathering of economic policy makers from the seven wealthiest nations to push for progress on a new World Trade Organization trade agreement. According to U.S. Treasury Undersecretary for International Affairs Tim Adams, the time is running out for ministers to complete a new WTO agreement in time "to push it through Congress" before President Bush's trade promotion authority, granted by Congress, expires in mid-2007. (On the other hand, time is also running out for Americans to understand the threat to U.S. independence posed by the WTO, then pressure Congress to withdraw our nation's membership in that dangerous "one nation, one vote" organization.)

U.S. Striving to Complete New WTO Agreement by Late 2006 - U.S. State Department - November 23, 2005

Excerpt: Launched in 2001 and stalled almost from the start over politically difficult agricultural trade issues, the negotiations, formally called the Doha Development Agenda, were originally scheduled to conclude in 2005. Since then, participants have pressed for conclusion by December 2006, which would give the United States time to submit any agreement to Congress before the president's negotiating authority, called trade promotion authority or fast track, expires in mid-2007. (Read also, "The WTO Trap.")

Democrats Urge U.S. to Oppose Weakening of WTO Antidumping Agreement - Reuters (via Yahoo!) - November 22, 2005

On Tuesday two House Democrats urged the Bush administration to reject a draft text in world trade talks that they said could weaken Washington's ability to impose duties on unfairly priced imports. Earlier this month, the Senate approved a resolution urging U.S. negotiators not to agree to any weakening of U.S. trade laws as part of a new WTO trade deal. When it returns next month from a break, the House could vote on a similar resolution.

Key WTO Members Project New Agreement by Late 2006 - AP (via Yahoo!) - November 22, 2005

Excerpts: Key members of the World Trade Organization on Tuesday outlined a plan for concluding the current round of trade talks by the end of 2006 as they acknowledged they would be unable to agree [on] a framework treaty at next month's Hong Kong summit.... Members are under pressure to conclude the Doha Round by the end of 2006 because the United States' fast-track approval process expires by July 1, 2007.

APEC Leaders Call for Breakthrough in WTO Negotiations - AP (via thestar.com) - November 19, 2005

Wrapping up their annual summit, the 21 leaders of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum sought to revive stalled Doha Round WTO negotiations by calling for a breakthrough in a stalemate with the EU over agricultural subsidies. (Click here to learn why the U.S. must withdraw its membership in the WTO.)

WTO Members Still Aiming to Complete Doha Round by End of 2006 - AP (via Washington Post) - November 10, 2005

According to Pascal Lamy, WTO Chief, member nations are still aiming to complete the Doha round of trade liberalization talks by the end of 2006 despite lowered expectations for a year-end summit in Hong Kong. (Click here for the reasons why the U.S. must get out of the WTO.)

Commerce Secretary Says WTO Progress Higher Priority Than FTAA - U.S. State Department - October 14, 2005

According to comments by Commerce Secretary Gutierrez on October 14, "The WTO is the big objective -- the FTAA is smaller, but would [still] be very big." He went on to affirm that the U.S. government's ultimate goal for the Western Hemisphere is still the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). (www.STOPtheFTAA.org)

Optimism Voiced for Progress Toward Global "Free Trade" Pact at WTO Meeting in Dec. - New York Times - October 17, 2005

The director general of the World Trade Organization, Pascal Lamy, predicted Sunday that considerable progress toward a global free trade pact is possible at the December WTO meeting in Hong Kong. Lamy added that such progress "is needed to clear the way for a final push to conclude a comprehensive deal, including an agreement on trade in services, among the 148 organization member nations by the end of next year." According to Lamy, a WTO deal must be completed by the end of 2006 in order to allow time for the U.S. Congress to approve the trade pact under "fast-track rules" before Bush's Trade Promotion Authority expires on July 1, 2007. (Read also, "The WTO Trap," The New American, January 10, 2005, regarding the threat posed by the WTO; and "Trading Away Jobs and Liberty," The New American, June 30, 2003, regarding the threat posed by a new WTO agreement on trade in services.)

Senate Farm Chairman Warns White House Against Reshaping U.S. Farm Policy in WTO Negotiations - Reuters (via Washington Post) - October 11, 2005

A day after U.S. officials proposed large reductions in U.S. farm subsidies at a WTO meeting in Geneva, Saxby Chambliss, the chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, warned the White House against rewriting the U.S. farm program in world trade talks without the full input of Congress. ("The World Trade Organization, a Geneva-based body composed of foreign bureaucrats, will control our nation's economic destiny unless we get out -- now!" William Norman Grigg, The New American, January 10, 2005)

Zoellick Confirms Doha WTO Negotiations Have Priority Over FTAA Negotiations - Brazzil Magazine - October 11, 2005

During his visit to Brazil this week, Robert Zoellick, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, explained why WTO negotiations are now a higher priority than FTAA negotiations: "[T]he United States has, back again in 2003, has tried to come up with a framework for the ALCA, the FTAA negotiations, which will allow us to move forward with all the countries in the hemisphere and that would include a framework for negotiating some of these issues with Mercosur customs union, but we wanted to try to do that within the overall context of the ALCA (FTAA) because, frankly, the United States and Brazil were co-chairs. It would seem a little odd if together we would sort of just go our own way and leave the others out of the process. But, for a variety of reasons, that idea of a baseline did not really develop in the ALCA (FTAA) negotiations and so it's my sense now that the area where there is the greatest potential in the near term is to move forward Doha, the WTO negotiations." (STOPtheFTAA!)

U.S. Trade Rep Makes Offer to Cut Farm Subsidies - New York Times - October 10, 2005

The Bush administration will try to jump-start stalled Doha Round WTO negotiations on Monday by offering to make cuts of up to 60 percent in some domestic farm subsidy programs.