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International trade talks, launched five years ago to reduce tariffs, quotas and other barriers to commerce worldwide, broke down in Geneva on Monday amid bitter recriminations between the United States and Europe.

Peter Mandelson, the chief trade negotiator for the European Union, charged the United States sabotaged the talks by refusing to scale back domestic farm subsidies, which the Europeans say give American agriculture an edge in international competition.
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Top U.S. trade negotiator Susan Schwab countered that the European Union steadfastly refused to open its agricultural markets to foreign farmers.

"They have not been a profile in political courage," she said.

The talks, under the auspices of the World Trade Organization, were launched in 2001. Pascal Lamy of France, the director of the WTO, suspended the negotiations indefinitely when officials could not compromise their differences over agricultural trade.

"We are in dire straits," Lamy said.

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Trade talks fail over farm tariffs

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European and Indian negotiators said that Europe offered on Sunday evening to move further than it had previously to reduce tariffs on agricultural imports - a crucial issue that had held up a deal. But the United States said that the offer did not go far enough, and the U.S. delegation declined to make its own improved offer to reduce agricultural subsidies.

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[ 24 July 2006: Message edited by: rasmus raven ]