Trade ministers from 30 nations failed to...

Trade ministers from 30 nations failed to make significant progress toward an agreed reduction of farm subsidies. Martin Bangemann, West Germany’s economics minister told reporters at Konstanz that participants considered a U.S. proposal to abolish all farm subsidies by 2000 as unachievable. But, Bangemann added, progress was made on other trade issues in the four-year negotiations, which reach their midpoint in December with a formal ministerial meeting in Montreal.