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When Apec leaders met for the first time near Seattle in 1993, they issued a strong statement in favour of further trade liberalisation. It helped towards the conclusion later that year of the long-stalled Uruguay Round of talks on world trade.
The renewed commitment by Asian countries was a defining moment in the talks as the European Union had feared it might be isolated by a US-influenced Asian trading bloc.
Eight years later, Robert Zoellick, the US trade representative, is hoping that history will repeat itself. Trade ministers are scheduled to gather in Doha, Qatar, next month to try to launch a new round of global trade talks.
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