WASHINGTON - U.S. Trade Representative Robert B. Zoellick will travel to Montreal, Canada to join 27 other Ministers responsible for trade for an informal meeting to discuss the Doha Development Agenda negotiations July 28-30. This meeting will take place in preparation for the Fifth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference to be held from September 10 -14, in Cancún, Mexico.

"The informal meeting in Montreal provides us with a good opportunity to focus the agenda as we reach the midway-point in Cancun," said Zoellick. "The United States has shown, through our WTO proposals and leadership, our commitment to advancing the benefits of trade for workers and families in the United States and the world, and we intend to stay on that track."

Zoellick met on Thursday with New Zealand Trade Negotiations Minister Jim Sutton and today with Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile, discussing the global trade talks with both Ministers. Over the weekend, Zoellick will be meeting with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman and European Union Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler to discuss the WTO agricultural trade negotiations. On Monday, Zoellick will be meeting with EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, along with bilateral meetings with other delegations.

The United States has made aggressive proposals in the W.T.O. to spur global trade talks in areas including:

- Agriculture. The United States believes that we must have a level playing field for all countries in the WTO. Therefore, in July of 2002, we proposed reducing global trade barriers, decreasing global trade-distorting subsidies by over $100 billion annually, and eliminating export subsidies. The United States has called upon those countries with the largest subsidies to make the most aggressive reforms.

- Industrial and Consumer Goods. The United States has proposed a "tariff free world" by calling on members of the WTO to eliminate all tariffs on consumer and industrial goods by 2015. The U.S. proposal would benefit all WTO nations by eliminating barriers for developing countries and boosting the national family income in developed countries. This proposal, combined with the far-reaching U.S. agricultural reform proposal would eliminate tariffs on the nearly $6 trillion in annual world goods trade, lifting the economic fortunes of workers, families, businesses, and consumers.

- Services. The United States, already one of the most open services markets in the world, has proposed aggressive global liberalization in this important area. Service sectors would include financial services (including insurance, banking and securities); telecommunications; express delivery; computer services; energy; and environmental services. This would provide more choices and better incomes and lifestyles for Americans the rest of the world.

The Montreal Meeting will be hosted by Canadian Minister for International Trade, Pierre Pettigrew. Other participants will be: Argentina, Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the European Commission, Egypt, Guyana, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Kenya, Lesotho, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, and Switzerland.