ICO QUOTA TALKS CONTINUE, OUTCOME HARD TO GAUGE
Talks at the extended special meeting of
the International Coffee Organization (ICO) on the
reintroduction of export quotas continued, but chances of
success were still almost impossible to gauge, delegates said.
    Producer delegates were meeting to examine a Colombian
proposal to resume historical quotas from April 1 to September,
with a promise to define specific new criteria by which a new
quota system would be calculated in September for the new crop
year, they said.
    Opinions among delegates over the potential for reaching a
quota agreement varied widely.
    Some consumers said the mood of the meeting seemed slightly
more optimistic. But Brazil's unwillingness to concede any of
its traditional 30.55 pct of its export market share looks
likely to preclude any accord, other delegates said.
    No fresh proposals other than the Colombian initiative had
been tabled formally today, delegates said.
    A full council meeting was set for 1900 hours for a
progress report, delegates said.
 Reuter
