The US is willing to put the export credits it offers to US farmers "on the table" at any new global trade talks, leaving the EU isolated in its insistence on keeping farm subsidies, US Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman said Monday.
US farm export credits are "certainly not ruled out in the negotiations," Veneman said at WTO talks in Doha. ``I think it's fair to say they're on the table.''
After four days of talks in Doha, Veneman said the hard bargaining on agriculture was expected to occur Tuesday -- the session's final day -- when ministers hope to produce agreement on an agenda for new global trade talks.
Differences over agriculture -- and specifically demands that the 15-nation EU eliminate export subsidies -- helped sink the last attempt in Seattle.
The EU's negotiating position remains unchanged, but Veneman said it was "pretty isolated" in its refusal to accept that any new talks aim at "phasing out" agriculture subsidies. More than 80 percent of export subsidies for farm products worldwide are paid by EU countries. The EU's total farm support runs about US$38 billion annually. The US spent US$27 billion last year on domestic farm support. Its export credits amount to about US$3.5 billion.
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Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique