SYDNEY, Dec 7: Australia’s trade minister said on Wednesday he was optimistic after weekend talks with key economic powers that the political will exists to make World Trade Organization (WTO) talks in Hong Kong this month a success.

Trade Minister Mark Vaile, an outspoken critic of the heavy farm subsidies that have stalled global trade negotiations, attended talks in Geneva last weekend involving the European Union, the United States, Japan, Brazil and India.

“Having sat for nine or 10 hours in a meeting in Geneva last Saturday with some key colleagues, my view is that the political commitment to get this deal done is there,” he told reporters.

“We’re in the concluding stages of preparation moving towards the ministerial meeting and so there are some tactical positions being taken.”

Mr Vaile said he was adopting a “realistic” position towards what could be achieved at the WTO meeting from December 13-18, which was initially expected to result in a definitive agreement on removing agricultural trade barriers.

He said the meeting was now expected to lay the groundwork for reaching a final agreement on the Doha Round of trade talks some time in 2006.

“We’ll need to make a judgement in Hong Kong (whether) we have achieved enough in Hong Kong to achieve the Doha mandate by the end of the negotiations towards the end of 2006 — that’s the test that I’ll apply,” he said.

Mr Vaile renewed his criticism of nations with high agricultural trade barriers.

“The discrimination against agriculture in world trade is a disgrace,” he said. “It shames the rich countries of the developing world that continue to overly protect their agricultural industries.”

He said developed nations had succeeded in bringing down the average global tariff for manufactured goods to three per cent while leaving the average agricultural tariff at 22 per cent.

“While they want it on one hand, they’re not prepared to concede access on the other hand (due to) their vested political circumstances,” he said.

Mr Vaile said some trade barriers were ridiculously high, citing a 771 per cent tariff on rice imports in Japan and a 180 per cent EU tariff on sugar imports.—AFP