Sir, - The truly historic significance of the recent World Trade Organisation talks in Seattle was not that outside on the street were the largest protests seen in the US since the Vietnam war. Rather, the historic event was that, inside at the talks, the developing countries gave a resounding no to the heavy-handed tactics of the rich countries.
The WTO process of "consensus building" has been to invite the 30 or so big players to agree a position which is then brought to the poorer countries to sign up to. This is neither democratic nor fair.
Having fallen for this in previous talks, developing countries have realised that their market share continues to fall (from five per cent to three per cent of EU imports in the last 10 years).
Considerations of justice aside, to secure the broad liberalisation they desire, the EU and US will have to yield in terms of both the process and the content of trade talks. That means reducing their hold on the political process and reducing their protection of agriculture. If they don't concede that soon, the future of the WTO itself has to be in question. - Yours, etc.,
Conall O'Caoimh, Comhlamh, Upper Camden Street, Dublin 2.