Paris, France - United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk issued a brief statement today at the conclusion of the 2009 OECD Ministerial Council Meeting. While attending the Paris meeting, Ambassador Kirk met with a number of key trade ministers and other leaders to discuss international trade policies and the future of the Doha round of world trade talks. From Ambassador Kirk:
"I was pleased this week to make my first visit to the OECD as United States Trade Representative. The office of the United States Trade Representative is working to ensure that trade serves as a pillar of America's economic recovery - one that sustains and creates the better-paying jobs that American workers want and need in these tough times.
"This week at the OECD, my trade counterparts and I have agreed: nations need trade to aid our recoveries. Open markets can help us fight the economic crisis together.
"In this context, few issues have been more important in our discussions than the Doha round of trade talks. A good Doha deal can boost global trade well into the next decade, while providing a significant development result. I have reiterated at senior official-level meetings in Geneva, at the Cairns Group in Bali, and here in Paris that the United States wants a balanced and ambitious Doha agreement as quickly as possible, with meaningful new market access for all.
"To move forward, we must build creatively on the progress made so far, with intensified multilateral work in Geneva and serious bilateral engagement among key partners.
"OECD members and all of the world's nations should work together to keep trade flowing, and to speed global economic recovery."
