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To: regli who wrote (42949)	12/18/2005 12:19:04 AM
From: mishedlo	Respond to of 116555

Europe fails to bust AWB monopoly Geoff Easdown and AAP 17dec05 EUROPEAN attempts to demolish Australia's wheat export monopoly have been blocked by the Federal Government and the nation's farmers. Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Peter McGuaran last night described as "hamfisted" EU attempts to dismantle Australia's single desk wheat export arrangement. Responding to claims the EU nations made at the latest round of world trade talks in Hong Kong, Mr McGuaran described their efforts as deceptive and designed to divert attention from real reform. The pressure on Australia to promote a wheat export business rival to the grower-controlled monopoly, AWB, comes on top of the recent United Nations bribes scandal where an Australian exporter was accused of paying bribes to associates of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. US wheat firms, anxious to gain footholds in Middle East trade, have been tireless in seeking to undermine Australia's reputation in the region. Last night, as the EU countries sought to exploit the anti-Australia campaign run by the Americans, Mr McGuaran and AWB chairman Brendan Stewart hit back. Mr Stewart said the EU was targeting the single desk because the Europeans could not find any other Australian activities to use to leverage their position in trade negotiations. "They only claim it's price distorting because they want to knock it down. AWB received no government subsidies, underwriting or insurance," Mr Stewart added, noting that "they really don't want to deal with the key issues." Mr McGuaran said AWB's commercial competitors had made numerous attempts to abolish Australia's export monopoly. "None have succeeded for the simple reason that the single desk is not in breach of WTO guidelines," Mr McGuaran said, declaring that the single desk would remain, so long as the majority of growers continued to support the arrangement. According to the minister 80 per cent of Australian wheat growers want the single desk marketing system which operates on commercial terms, without taxpayer subsidies, to continue. "This is because it is the best way to do business," Mr McGuaran said. Both Australia and New Zealand came under pressure at this week's World Trade talks to give up their wheat and dairy export monopolies. Canada was also told that it needed to get rid of an export monopoly before it would get a wider deal on agriculture. But Australia, New Zealand and Canada argued that the EU had yet to prove its case that the monopolies were not another form of export subsidy or distorted world trade. At the halfway point of the Hong Kong talks, there had been little movement on the key area of agriculture, with Europe still resisting demands to open its protected farm markets to competition. Europe in turn is demanding major developing exporters such as Brazil, India and China do much more in terms of offering access in the industrial good and services sectors. The United States conceded one point, agreeing to give four west African nations duty free access to the rich but heavily subsidised American cotton market. Negotiators have been talking around the clock since Tuesday, but little headway has been made. The talks are due to conclude tomorrow. thecouriermail.news.com.au

To: regli who wrote (42949)	12/18/2005 12:26:29 AM
From: mishedlo	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116555

Philadelphia Church of God is asking Will Iran’s Oil Hurt the Dollar? Though many economists consider the chances of Iran’s ambition succeeding as remote, we can know from Bible prophecy that the U.S. financial system will be brought down—along with the U.S. dollar as the reserve currency. thetrumpet.com

To: regli who wrote (42949)	12/18/2005 3:27:23 PM
From: mishedlo	Respond to of 116555

Farm subsidy proposals anger US farmers Wednesday, 12/10/2005 The United States administration is taking some heat at home for its latest proposal to slash farm subsidies as part of agricultural trade reform. US Congress's two agriculture chairmen have warned the Bush administration not to write the next US farm law into world trade deal talks. The move came after the US tabled a plan to cut its own domestic supports by 60 per cent and the EUs by 83 per cent. abc.net.au US Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns says US lawmakers will write the next farm bill, but that the US must be bold on supports to win key tariff cuts: "Market access for us is the key and I've repeated that during the negotiations … Ambassador Portman has," he said. "We need a bold proposal on market access." But US Senate Agriculture Chairman Saxby Chambliss warned Mr Johanns in a letter against reducing overall US farm program spending of between $15 billion and $20 billion a year and making structural changes to the US farm safety net. Meanwhile, wheat prices in the United States have jumped after the country won a one million tonne supply contract to Iraq. Kansas City and Chicago Wheat Futures have closed higher, after the US beat Australia to the $260 million contract.