July 24,2006

Grassley Disappointed Over Collapse of Doha Round Trade Talks

M E M O R A N D U M

To: Reporters and Editors
Re: Collapse of Doha round trade talks
Da: Monday, July 24, 2006

Sen. Chuck Grassley, chairman of the Committee on Finance, with jurisdiction over
international trade, today made the following comment on the collapse of the Doha round of
worldwide trade talks.

“I’m very disappointed. And I wonder whether our trading partners truly appreciate how
much we stand to lose if this round fails. The poorest developing countries have the most to gain
from a successful round. And success rests on creating real market access opportunities.
Unfortunately, too many of our trading partners have just been unwilling to allow enough market
access. I’ve always said that no deal is better than a bad deal, and a ‘Doha lite’ deal would be a bad
deal. I’m glad our trade negotiators held their ground. They appreciate that lesser ambition doesn’t
serve our interests, and it’s not in the best interest of the global trading community. I’m also
frustrated that two of our more vocal critics, the EU and India, are also two of the biggest advocates
of maintaining protectionist policies in the WTO negotiations. As long as they wear their blinders,
we’ll never see eye-to-eye on a good trade deal, and poorer countries will pay the highest price.”