ID :
14274
Wed, 07/30/2008 - 07:39
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/14274
The shortlink copeid
Who is getting tired of WTO talks, wonders Geneva
Yoshita Singh Geneva, July 29 (PTI) With gruelling ministerial meetings running up to the wee hours of the morning, much to the patience of the journalists covering the extended WTO talks, participants now appear to be more curious on duration thanthe outcome of talks.
Ranging from fears of a breakdown to hopes of a breakthrough, ministerial representatives of 30 countries at this snow-clad tourist destination have been pushing themselves on and on for a result that has prompted them foran extension of talks indefinitely.
Started on July 21, the talks were scheduled to conclude on July 26 but now nobody is sure when one would be able tocatch the return flight.
The uncertainty is also spilling over to the other aspects of the trip. People have to shift hotels, buy new setsof clothes and postpone their flight tickets.
After eight days of the nerve-breaking inconclusive negotiations, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath told the waiting media persons, "We are not getting tired.. I am sure you are." Ministers are engaged in back-to-back meetings, bilaterals and "intensive discussions" that more oftencontinue till the early hours of the next day.
The mediapersons wait for hours on end for the crucial information --have the talks collapsed or have the ministers reached an agreement -- which in turn will determine when theyget to go back home.
Indonesia's trade minister Mari Elka Pangestu said, "We are willing to stay on for a few more days if it is necessary to get the whole thing completed." Ministers also take time from the gruelling meetings to go for a "shower" or "coffee", as did Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, or for a walk as Nath did. US Trade Representative Susan Schwab was also seen taking a stroll onthe shores of Lake Geneva, near the WTO headquarters.
A journalist remarked, "I do not want to wait for seven years (that is the age of the Doha Round) before I report theoutcome of the meeting".
When ministers walking down the steps from the 'Green Room' late in the night to address waiting mediapersons and say that "the talks will continue tomorrow" or "there is some progress, we will come back tomorrow", scores of journalistscannot help but laugh. As it is the beginning of another wait.
A diplomat here put it, the talks are turning out to bemore of a test of stamina and patience than anything else.
Ranging from fears of a breakdown to hopes of a breakthrough, ministerial representatives of 30 countries at this snow-clad tourist destination have been pushing themselves on and on for a result that has prompted them foran extension of talks indefinitely.
Started on July 21, the talks were scheduled to conclude on July 26 but now nobody is sure when one would be able tocatch the return flight.
The uncertainty is also spilling over to the other aspects of the trip. People have to shift hotels, buy new setsof clothes and postpone their flight tickets.
After eight days of the nerve-breaking inconclusive negotiations, India's Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath told the waiting media persons, "We are not getting tired.. I am sure you are." Ministers are engaged in back-to-back meetings, bilaterals and "intensive discussions" that more oftencontinue till the early hours of the next day.
The mediapersons wait for hours on end for the crucial information --have the talks collapsed or have the ministers reached an agreement -- which in turn will determine when theyget to go back home.
Indonesia's trade minister Mari Elka Pangestu said, "We are willing to stay on for a few more days if it is necessary to get the whole thing completed." Ministers also take time from the gruelling meetings to go for a "shower" or "coffee", as did Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim, or for a walk as Nath did. US Trade Representative Susan Schwab was also seen taking a stroll onthe shores of Lake Geneva, near the WTO headquarters.
A journalist remarked, "I do not want to wait for seven years (that is the age of the Doha Round) before I report theoutcome of the meeting".
When ministers walking down the steps from the 'Green Room' late in the night to address waiting mediapersons and say that "the talks will continue tomorrow" or "there is some progress, we will come back tomorrow", scores of journalistscannot help but laugh. As it is the beginning of another wait.
A diplomat here put it, the talks are turning out to bemore of a test of stamina and patience than anything else.
