美印就粮食补贴问题达成协议

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.

世界贸易组织的代表们去年12月通过了这项贸易协定，希望以此提高海关规程的效率，降低在世界各地运送货物的成本。

这项协定需要得到世贸组织所有159个成员国的批准，但印度担心其中一项条款对政府提供粮食补贴规模予以限制，因此拒绝批准该协定。

白宫星期四发表声明说，美国和印度就一项条款达成一致立场。该条款规定在世贸组织成员国就粮食补贴问题达成永久性解决方案之前，不得对粮食补贴项目提出质疑。