Textile Quotas : Last-Mile Hurdle

Last-Mile Hurdle Ever since US and Turkish textile trade groups signed the so-called Istanbul Declaration last March, it seemed only a matter of time before an attempt would be made to tamper with the December 31, 2004 deadline for the phaseout of quotas under the Multi-Fibre Arrangement (MFA). The declaration had sought a three-year extension for the quotas and an emergency meeting of the World Trade Organisation to discuss the issue. Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and a number of African countries, which have benefited from the quota regime, have now approached the WTO with just such a request. Since representations to the WTO can only be made by governments, and not by trade associations, it seems rather curious that their language so closely echoes that of the Istanbul Declaration. For now, the WTO has rejected an emergency session, citing the lack of