WTO negotiators battle on, differences still deep
By Laura MacInnis and William Schomberg
GENEVA (Reuters) - Talks to save a global trade deal struggled into a third day on Wednesday with emerging economies like Brazil and South Africa saying the United States had not done enough on farming to justify moves by them.
Without a breakthrough in the coming days, the World Trade Organisation's Doha negotiations risk further years of delay.
On Tuesday, the United States said it was ready to cut its annual ceiling on trade-distorting farm subsidies to $15 billion -- a level lower than its spending in seven of the last 10 years -- in order to kick-start the talks.
But India, Brazil and other big developing countries said Washington had to make deeper cuts before they would offer concessions of their own because the ceiling represented virtually double the level of U.S. farm subsidies last year.
"Within what is politically viable, $13 (billion) is close to reasonable," Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim said, adding talks were still inching forward.
"Slow motion is better than total paralysis," he said.
Officials said talks on getting developing countries to open up their markets in manufactured goods were heated.
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