Government Must Accept Share of Responsibility for Collapse in Cancun

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Mon 15th Sep 2003

Responding to the collapse of the WTO trade talks in Cancun, Vince Cable MP, Liberal Democrat Shadow DTI Secretary, accused the EU negotiators and the UK Government of pursuing a narrow and negative agenda.

He said: "This is a very worrying outcome. There is now a very real danger that the World Trade system will fragment into regional and bi-lateral agreements. The poorest countries will be the main victims."

"The only positive outcome is that developing countries organised themselves very effectively, maintained a united front and refused to be rolled over by the narrow interests being promoted by the EU and the USA, particularly in Agriculture."

"Questions now need to be asked about the failure of the EU negotiating team, which inexplicably regarded its primary responsibility as fighting against the wide-ranging removal of trade distorting agricultural subsidies and tariffs."

"Serious questions also need to be asked about the role of UK Ministers who participated in this fiasco. They didn't raise their voices early enough to stop the self-defeating and disastrous strategy being pursued by the EU."