December 5, 2005

To Members of the United States Congress:

The American Business Coalition for Doha (ABCDoha) brings together more than 200 leading U.S. companies, associations and other organizations all dedicated to achieving ambitious results from the current round of multilateral trade negotiations in the World Trade Organization (WTO), known as the Doha Round.

We are writing to bring your attention to the urgent need to prevent a deadlock in the negotiations. From December 13-18, WTO trade ministers will meet in Hong Kong to seek agreement on a detailed negotiating framework that will serve as a roadmap for what we hope will be the final phase of negotiations in 2006.

However, ministers are signaling, even before the meeting begins, that we must all lower our expectations for the outcome of the Hong Kong Ministerial, which could become merely a stock-taking exercise.

Such an outcome would fall far short of the U.S. business community's goals for the Hong Kong Ministerial. To delay the difficult decisions required to move the talks forward would jeopardize the prospects of concluding this round by the end of 2006 which remains the collective goal of WTO members. In the U.S. context, we believe it vitally important to conclude the round by the end of 2006, before the expiry of Trade Promotion Authority in mid-2007.

Now is the time for ministers to abandon posturing tactics and demonstrate creative and strong political leadership to avoid stalemate in the negotiations. Ministers must issue clear and specific guidance to set the negotiations on an aggressive and expedited path for progress in each of the key areas under discussion, including market access for agriculture, services, and industrial products alike. Our exports in each of these areas underpin strong economic growth and job creation in the U.S. economy.

A successful Doha Round of trade liberalization could boost the world economy by $300 billion in just ten years. America has historically benefited from trade liberalization because we already have one of the most open economies in the world.

Our openness is what drives our producers and workers to be the most efficient and innovative in the world. But with ninety-five percent of the world's consumers living outside our borders, we need room to grow by gaining better access to markets abroad.

By increasing trade opportunities, we generate higher incomes at home and achieve greater saving for U.S. consumers. Studies estimate the gain by eliminating global trade barriers could be as high as $7800 annually for the average American family of four.

We therefore cannot afford to miss the enormous opportunity the Doha Round offers to achieve these benefits. With the Doha Round already years behind its original schedule, we cannot allow political will to flag as we head into the Hong Kong Ministerial, an important milestone in these historic negotiations.

To this end, we urge you to:

	Support continued U.S. leadership in advancing the Doha Round of negotiations.
	Issue a call to action to the leaders of other nations. Countries cannot expect to gain if they do not participate by offering access to their own markets.
	Send a strong message to WTO Ministers that the Hong Kong Ministerial must produce credible and tangible results in the form of an aggressive work plan for 2006.
	Express Congress' commitment to maintain a high overall level of ambition for the Doha Round which must deliver significant new commercial opportunities for U.S. agriculture, manufacturers, and service providers.

The United States has much to lose if it does not achieve all it can gain from a successful and timely conclusion to the Doha Round in 2006.

We appreciate your support in ensuring that the United States maintains its leadership role in shaping an international trading system that allows American commerce to thrive and grow well into the future.

Sincerely,