US, Antigua Break Off Talks on Internet Gambling
Monday, Aug 7, 2006
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the tiny Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda have broken off talks to resolve a high stakes dispute over the U.S. ban on Internet gambling, a U.S. trade official said on Thursday.
"Unfortunately we were not able to reach a settlement," despite several meetings over the past four months," said Richard Mills, a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office.
Online gambling has grown rapidly, with spending of around $7.5 billion this year, according to industry estimates.
In a decision that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick called "deeply flawed," a World Trade Organization panel agreed earlier this year with Antigua and Barbuda's claim that the United States' ban on Internet gambling violated global trade rules.
Although Zoellick said the United States would appeal, the two sides suspended litigation in June in the hopes of reaching a negotiated settlement.
"Our delegation presented a number of proposals for the U.S.'s consideration, but, sadly, they were not prepared to accept them," Harold Lovell, minister of tourism, foreign affairs and international transport and trade for the twin-island Caribbean state, said in a statement last Friday.
"What they offered as an alternative was not acceptable to us," Lovell added.
Trade officials said Antigua and Barbuda was expected to formally notify the WTO on Nov. 4 that it wants to resume the litigation process. That would clear the way for the WTO to publicly release the panel ruling and for the United States to proceed with its appeal.
What really sucks is that it gives the Senate time to pass a bill prior to Antigua actually filing any litigation.
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Monday, Aug 7, 2006
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States and the tiny Caribbean state of Antigua and Barbuda have broken off talks to resolve a high stakes dispute over the U.S. ban on Internet gambling, a U.S. trade official said on Thursday.
"Unfortunately we were not able to reach a settlement," despite several meetings over the past four months," said Richard Mills, a spokesman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office.
Online gambling has grown rapidly, with spending of around $7.5 billion this year, according to industry estimates.
In a decision that U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick called "deeply flawed," a World Trade Organization panel agreed earlier this year with Antigua and Barbuda's claim that the United States' ban on Internet gambling violated global trade rules.
Although Zoellick said the United States would appeal, the two sides suspended litigation in June in the hopes of reaching a negotiated settlement.
"Our delegation presented a number of proposals for the U.S.'s consideration, but, sadly, they were not prepared to accept them," Harold Lovell, minister of tourism, foreign affairs and international transport and trade for the twin-island Caribbean state, said in a statement last Friday.
"What they offered as an alternative was not acceptable to us," Lovell added.
Trade officials said Antigua and Barbuda was expected to formally notify the WTO on Nov. 4 that it wants to resume the litigation process. That would clear the way for the WTO to publicly release the panel ruling and for the United States to proceed with its appeal.
What really sucks is that it gives the Senate time to pass a bill prior to Antigua actually filing any litigation.
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