EU, Japan call for new trade round 歐日呼吁召開新一輪貿易談判

Worldwide demonstrations disrupted trade talks

世界各地的示威活動中斷了貿易談判

Europe and Japan have called for the resumption of world trade talks by the end of this year.

The call came at the end of the EU-Japan summit in Tokyo, ahead of a meeting of the leaders of the world's major industrial countries in Okinawa on Friday.

Global trade talks broke down in December in Seattle, amid bitter recriminations between trading partners and mass demonstrations on the streets.

In a joint statement, Japan's Premier Mori and French President Jacques Chirac said they accepted that many people were worried by the growing globalisation of the world economy.

"The launch of a new round of trade negotiations remains the best way for the World Trade Organisation to respond to these challenges," they said.

歐洲和日本提出在年底前繼續世界貿易談判。

歐日在東京的會談結束時的這一呼吁，是在周五沖繩將召開的世界主要工業國家會議(G8)前提出的。

上次的西亞圖全球貿易談判在貿易伙伴相互辛辣的指責、大街上群眾游行抗議聲中于12月中斷。

在一份聯合聲明中，日本首相森喜朗和法國總統希拉克稱他們認識到許多人對世界經濟全球化的擔憂。

他們說，“展開新一輪貿易談判仍是世貿組織迎接這些挑戰的最好途徑。”