BEIJING, Dec. 15 (Xinhuanet) -- The European Union said its proposal for the poorest countries to gain free access to rich western markets was being blocked by the United States.

    The "jewel in the crown" of the Europe's five-point plan, put forward at the on-going WTO ministrial meeting in Hong Kong, is to let the world's poorest countries export as many goods as they wish without paying duty, according to Peter Mandelson, the EU's trade commissioner.

    "I don't believe we should give up on this issue or allow the commitment to be diluted. If we can't deliver on this, the whole world will be asking what we are doing in Hong Kong," Mandelson said.

    The U.S. says endless goods from poor countries are unwelcome in its market. It also insists that the $4 billion it pays to its cotton farmers in subsidies is sacrosanct.

    Charles Grassley, chairman of the US Senate trade committee, said Congress would shoot down any deal to give poor countries free access to the US market unless there is a deal on agriculture.

    Mandelson said he was frustrated by the US position. "The insistence I came up against again last night is that it should be agriculture, agriculture and nothing but agriculture. I am sorry that brinkmanship and bidding-up is standing in the way of the serious dialogue that we need," he said.

    The US said it had a number of issues with the EU package but hoped they could be resolved by the end of the talks on Sunday.Enditem

    (Agencies)