US rejects WTO reform draft before Cameroon meeting

The United States has officially rejected a draft proposal for reforming the World Trade Organization (WTO) ahead of a significant ministerial meeting in Cameroon. For several months, a group of member nations led by Norway has been working to finalize a position paper intended to modernize the 30-year-old trade body. The upcoming summit, scheduled for March 26-29, was expected to center on these systemic changes. During a meeting in Geneva this week, U.S. Ambassador Joseph Barloon indicated that the current draft was not suitable for adoption. Barloon noted that the discussions were not sufficiently mature and that the document contained language deemed too ambiguous. > "We cannot accept a workplan that in our view undermines our collective efforts to move forward." Because the WTO requires a full consensus among its 166 members to pass such reforms, the objection from the United States precludes an immediate agreement. This development comes amid growing concerns that global trade rules could be determined outside the organization if it fails to implement internal reforms quickly. Barloon emphasized that Washington still maintains an ambitious reform agenda and is prepared to review the positions of other member states.