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3RD LD: U.N. food summit strikes compromise over food export control+(Japan Economic Newswire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ROME, June 5_(Kyodo) _ (EDS: RECASTING WITH AGREEMENT OVER TRADE RESTRICTIONS) Negotiators at a U.N. food summit in Rome struck a compromise Wednesday night over the proposed control of food exports, marking an effective agreement on all contentious issues for a declaration to be released at the summit's closing on the following day. The negotiators at the three-day summit, sponsored by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, agreed on the second day to adopt wording that, without a direct reference to export controls, calls for governments to reduce measures that could harm stability in world food supply, said sources close to the conference. The latest agreement followed a compromise the negotiators struck earlier in the day over the proposed control of biofuel output, the sources said. The negotiators have now finished coordination of all contentious issues at the summit, which is being held in the Italian city to deal with the global food crisis. On the biofuel issue, a summit working group agreed to promote international dialogue and thorough research as part of their compromise, said the sources. The compromise indicates that the summit declaration is unlikely to contain a call for governments to devise "international policy guidelines" for sustainable bioenergy production. The move apparently represents a setback for efforts by Japan and other food-importing countries to control biofuels, which they have accused of helping stoke food prices across the world. Major biofuel-producing nations, such as the United States and Brazil, have downplayed the impact of biofuel output on food prices as small, claiming that biofuels only account for 3 percent of recent price rises. Advocates of biofuels said they cannot accept any declaration intended to contain biofuels, with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer telling reporters that he doubts any "positive agreement" would be reached over biofuels. U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said at a press conference that further study and research are necessary to work out international guidelines for biofuels. Some food-producing countries had been opposed to the declaration that calls on governments "not to institute trade actions, such as export limits or bans that could threaten stability of food supply," as stated in a revised draft, according to summit participants. At the outset of the summit, U.N. chief Ban warned against export restrictions by food-exporting nations. World Bank President Robert Zoellick joined Ban in warning against the trade practice, terming it as encouraging hoarding, driving up prices and hurting the poorest people in the world. The revised text calls attention to soaring food prices, biofuel production and climate change as factors that could undermine food security. As short-term remedial steps, the draft declaration calls on governments to provide food and financial aid to countries facing food shortages. As for medium- to long-term measures, the draft calls on governments to step up international cooperation to expand investments in the agricultural sector and to bolster agricultural production. Copyright ? 2008 Kyodo News International, Inc. |