Antigua and U.S.A. in another attempt to find common ground on WTO dispute
News on 24 Jul 2015
News on 24 Jul 2015
The 12-year-old World Trade Organisation dispute between Antigua and the United States may at last be nearing its end, with Antigua’s Minister of International Trade and Foreign Affairs Charles Fernandez scheduled to leave for further talks with the US Trade Representative early next week.
Over the years the dispute has been through several WTO dispute panels which have found in favour of the Antigua complaint that US online gambling bans severely impacted the local Antiguan economy and were against international trade agreements.
However, the United States has steadfastly refused to compensate Antigua, which claims it has suffered to the extent of $3 billion .
Antigua is reportedly prepared to resolve the issue if the USTR agrees to a single payment of $100 million.
Fernandez told the Antigua media that his perception is that both sides are now committed to a final solution in the long-running and at times acrimonious dispute.
