Antigua 'losing all hope' of U.S. payout in gambling dispute

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sam9ball

sam9ball

Joined
Jan 30, 2018
Messages
23
http://www.businessinsider.com/r-an...-gambling-dispute-2018-6?yptr=yahoo&r=UK&IR=T

GENEVA (Reuters) - Antigua and Barbuda is "losing all hope" of a financial settlement in a long-running dispute with the United States and it may ask the head of the World Trade Organization to mediate, Antiguan ambassador Ronald Sanders told the WTO on Friday.
The tiny archipelago built up an Internet gambling industry to replace declining tourism revenues, only to find itself shut out of the world's biggest gambling market.
It took its case to the WTO in 2003 and eventually won the right to compensation of $21 million annually, after the WTO judges upheld its complaint that U.S. laws were discriminatory.
Washington has not paid out, and Sanders said his country had lost $315 million so far, equivalent to more than a quarter of its annual GDP and less than 0.1 percent of the U.S. economy.
Although the WTO awarded Antigua the right to use trade sanctions to recoup its losses, it opted for a settlement.
"We continued to hope that a sense of justice and fairness would prevail. But, we are now losing all hope," Sanders told the WTO's dispute settlement body, according to a copy of his remarks provided to Reuters.
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"After a long period of exhausting attempts to engage the United States, Antigua and Barbuda is now contemplating, once again, approaching the (WTO) Director-General... to join in seeking a mediated solution that would bring much needed relief after these arduous 15 years of damage to our economy."
Trade experts say the case highlights a weakness in the WTO system, because small nations have little leverage to enforce rulings against the world's big powers.
Antigua does not have a permanent representation in Geneva but it has repeatedly sent envoys to the WTO to plead for a U.S. payout, most recently last September when the island of Barbuda was severely damaged by Hurrican Irma.
On that occasion, the United States expressed "deep sympathy" for the storm damage but made no concessions, promising only to take Antigua's statement into account.
"All of Antigua and Barbuda's attempts, in a spirit of good faith, have failed," Sanders said.
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The United States has repeatedly offered to settle the row but its offers were unacceptable because none of its offers amounted to even 1 percent of the damage caused, Sanders said.
"The WTO dispute settlement was conceived as a system where all members, irrespective of their size, would have their rights protected," he said.
 

BMR_Brad

BMR_Brad

Joined
Jun 4, 2016
Messages
1,365
Sadly,they were naive.The USA ignore the rules because they can't be forced to obey them.

I suppose I am naive too thinking this, but how can the US expect to maintain a position of world leader (without force) if it will not set the example it wants others to follow.

Things like this are the building blocks of dissent and no doubt undermines the USA's credibility far more than the cost of paying the $20mil per year fines.
 
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