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 SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Pacific Rim leaders are "greatly concerned" about the lack of progress in global trade talks, according to a draft of the final statement to be released at the conclusion of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit this weekend.
Climate change, a key topic at the forum this year, was mentioned only briefly in the draft, which was obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press.
The so-called Doha round of global trade talks, started in 2001, has made little progress during the past two years amid bickering between rich and poor countries over how much to slash trade barriers in agricultural and industrial trade. Negotiations that restarted this week in Geneva based on new proposals to bridge differences in those two markets have failed to move forward.
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