The United States is ready to make significant agricultural concessions to reach a new world trade deal if other countries open their markets to more US exports, President George W. Bush said on Friday. “We're willing to make serious concessions on the agricultural front, but we expect other nations to open up their markets on manufacturing as well as services,” Bush said at a news conference after meeting Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd. Bush said the Doha round, which is now in its seventh year, was a major topic of his conversation with Rudd. “I said it's possible to achieve a Doha round. He, too, believes we should work to achieve a Doha round,” Bush said. European Union Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson told reporters in Paris he was encouraged by Bush's remarks. “It's about time,” Mandelson said after meeting with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon. “George Bush says ... the United States needs to make fair, reasonable payment into these negotiations,” Mandelson said. “I always said they would. The time has come for this to happen.” On Monday, Brazil's chief Doha negotiator Robert Azevedo said negotiators were closer than ever to an agreement, but there still was no certainty of success. The US and the EU both face demands to make deep cuts in their agricultural subsidies and tariffs, but want major developing countries such as India and Brazil to open their markets in exchange. Negotiators have been working in Geneva toward a possible ministerial-level meeting in April or May, where it is hoped a long-awaited breakthrough would occur. “If ever the global economy needs a psychological injection of some confidence in the arm, it's now, and that can be delivered by a positive outcome on Doha,” Rudd said. A successful agreement can only be achieved if all the major players - including Brazil, India, the United States, the EU and the Cairns Group of agricultural exporters led by Australia - do their part, Rudd said. “It takes more than two to tango. It takes a lot of people to tango when it comes to the Doha round,” Rudd said. The leaders said the United States and Australia would work together to try to bring the Doha round to a successful close. The longtime allies are also building on the three-year-old US-Australia free trade agreement by signing an “open skies” agreement on Monday to liberalize air travel between the two countries, Bush said. __
