Antigua, US extend WTO deadline on gaming dispute

ST JOHN'S, Antigua (CMC):

Antigua and Barbuda and the United States have agreed to a further extension of the deadline to their Internet gaming dispute before the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Officials from both countries met here last week in an attempt to break the deadlock in the dispute that followed the decision by Washington to impose measures prohibiting its residents from placing bets with gaming operators outside American borders.

Finance and Economy Minister Dr Errol Cort said an August 1 deadline had been agreed after the latest round of talks with the six-member US delegation led by Deputy United States Trade Representative, Ambassador John Veroneau.

no guarantee of resolution

But the finance minister said that although both countries were able to make tremendous progress and clarify a number of issues, they were still not at a point of possible settlement and there is no guarantee that a resolution would be found by the new deadline.

"I do not believe or expect that on the first of August, 2008, we will be in the position to say we have a concluded agreement.

"I don't want the public to walk away with the notion that we're setting deadlines and we're not meeting the deadlines and we're just extending them. It's part of an overall strategy to keep parties at the table to negotiate," he said.

Cort said the tight deadlines force both sides to stay engaged on the subject and avoid complacency, but that it could be several weeks before the two countries arrive at an amicable settlement.

"If I had to hazard a guess, I would expect that over the next two to, certainly, three months, we should be in a position to know one way or the other whether these talks have failed and we have to go back to the WTO or whether we have an agreement," Cort said.

Last December, a World Trade Organisation (WTO) panel of arbitrators ruled in favour of Antigua and Barbuda's bid to impose sanctions on Washington after it barred financial institutions from processing online payments to betting companies outside American borders.

Antigua and Barbuda had requested US$3.4 billion in sanctions, but the WTO panel gave the twin-island state the right to ignore copyrights and mass produce software, music and movies in the amount of only US$21 million annually.