Europeans Get Deadline for Subsidy Cuts
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BRUSSELS — The European Community was given a deadline of noon Thursday to draw up a new proposal for sharper cuts in agriculture subsidies and rescue deadlocked world trade talks, officials said today.
Uruguayan Foreign Minister Hector Gros Espiell imposed the deadline after a series of meetings to try to find a way to move the stalled Uruguay Round negotiations.
“We’re ready to move by noon tomorrow,” said Hugo Paemen, a senior negotiator for the 12-nation trading bloc. “The EC is discussing new agriculture proposals as well as proposals in other areas.”
But Ray MacSharry, the community’s top farm official who has been a hard-liner in the negotiations, said, “Our degree of flexibility is minimal.”
“A lot of contracting partners need to rethink, not just the European Community. The EC cannot be expected to give in on everything,” he told reporters.
The talks stalled Tuesday amid heavy pressure from the United States and other countries on the European Community to make deep cuts in farm supports.
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