ID :
14452
Thu, 07/31/2008 - 11:01
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Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/14452
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WTO members trade charges after Geneva talks fail
Yoshita Singh Geneva, July 30 (PTI) Failure of talks to reach a world trade deal set off a blame game, with rich and developing nations raring to pin responsibility on the other for collapseof negotiations.
US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said it was regrettable that negotiations were deadlocked over the scope of a safeguard mechanism to remedy surges in importedagricultural products.
"Any safeguard mechanism must distinguish between the legitimate need to address exceptional situation involving sudden and extreme import surges and a mechanism that can beabused," she said in her statement.
While she did not name any country which could "abuse" the safeguard mechanism, her statement clearly alluded to India and China that were firm on the issue of livelihoodsecurity of their farmers leading to the collapse of talks.
India was equally forthcoming on its stand stating it waswilling to negotiate commerce but not the livelihood concerns.
"I represent a country where 300 million people earn less than one dollar a day...when we operate the SSM you cannot have a remedy that frustrates it. I thought we cannot put at stake the livelihood security of one billion people in various (developing) countries," Commerce and Industry Minister KamalNath told reporters here.
The WTO mini-Ministerial Meeting of 30 trade ministers called by Pascal Lamy held marathon sessions for nine days but ended on a disastrous note, as the US got into a deadlock withIndia on import rules for farm products.
Describing it as a "tragic failure", Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said the talks failed due to inability of some countries to "bridge the gap between their positions" onthe issue of Special Safeguard Mechanism.
US Trade Representative Susan Schwab said it was regrettable that negotiations were deadlocked over the scope of a safeguard mechanism to remedy surges in importedagricultural products.
"Any safeguard mechanism must distinguish between the legitimate need to address exceptional situation involving sudden and extreme import surges and a mechanism that can beabused," she said in her statement.
While she did not name any country which could "abuse" the safeguard mechanism, her statement clearly alluded to India and China that were firm on the issue of livelihoodsecurity of their farmers leading to the collapse of talks.
India was equally forthcoming on its stand stating it waswilling to negotiate commerce but not the livelihood concerns.
"I represent a country where 300 million people earn less than one dollar a day...when we operate the SSM you cannot have a remedy that frustrates it. I thought we cannot put at stake the livelihood security of one billion people in various (developing) countries," Commerce and Industry Minister KamalNath told reporters here.
The WTO mini-Ministerial Meeting of 30 trade ministers called by Pascal Lamy held marathon sessions for nine days but ended on a disastrous note, as the US got into a deadlock withIndia on import rules for farm products.
Describing it as a "tragic failure", Chinese Commerce Minister Chen Deming said the talks failed due to inability of some countries to "bridge the gap between their positions" onthe issue of Special Safeguard Mechanism.
