美印就糧食補貼問題達成協議
The United States and India have announced an agreement to resolve a dispute about food subsidies that has held up the ratification of a global trade pact.
World Trade Organization delegates approved the trade deal last December, seeking to streamline customs rules and cut the cost of shipping goods around the world.
The pact needed approval of all 159 WTO members, but India declined to ratify it because of concerns about a clause that restricts the size of food subsidies governments could provide.
The White House issued a statement Thursday saying the U.S. and India agreed on a provision that calls for WTO members not to challenge the subsidy programs until they agree on a "permanent solution" to the matter.美國和印度宣佈達成一項協議，解決了有關糧食補貼的爭議。這一爭議使一項世界貿易協定不能獲得批准。
世界貿易組織的代表們去年12月通過了這項貿易協定，希望以此提高海關規程的效率，降低在世界各地運送貨物的成本。
這項協定需要得到世貿組織所有159個成員國的批准，但印度擔心其中一項條款對政府提供糧食補貼規模予以限制，因此拒絕批准該協定。
白宮星期四發表聲明說，美國和印度就一項條款達成一致立場。該條款規定在世貿組織成員國就糧食補貼問題達成永久性解決方案之前，不得對糧食補貼項目提出質疑。
