ID :
15749
Wed, 08/13/2008 - 15:22
Auther :
Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/15749
The shortlink copeid
India for another go at WTO if flaws removed: Nath
New Delhi, Aug 13 (PTI) India Tuesday told the World
Trade Organisation (W.T.O.) that it is ready for another go at
reaching a world trade agreement, talks for which were
initiated in Doha seven years ago, if flaws in multilateral
rules are removed.
"If the basis of the round (Doha negotiations) has to see
a change in its very objectives, it would be a tough going for
global trade integration," Commerce and Industry Minister
Kamal Nath said here in the presence of W.T.O. Director
General Pascal Lamy.
Nath, who was sharing the dais with Lamy at a CUTS-FICCI
conference on global development goals, said: "Revival of the
weakest" and "not survival of the fittest" should form the
core of the negotiations for reaching an agreement.
Otherwise, a renewed attempt being made by Lamy and
others to bring the talks back on rail could meet the fate of
the recently abandoned talks in Geneva. While India is keen
on resumption of multilateral negotiations, it cannot be
expected to accept the flaws -- the price developing countries
are being asked to pay for developed countries to cut
subsidies, he said.
Nath was responding to Lamy's remarks that if W.T.O.
cannot reach a deal, the US agricultural trade distorting
subsidies could see a sharp jump to over 48 billion dollars a
year from ceiling of 14.5 billion dollars, which the Bush
administration had offered at the Geneva Mini-Ministerial
Meeting.
If the Round was not to conclude, "the US will be able to
spend much more (on subsidies)," Lamy said.
Within two weeks of the collapse of Geneva talks, the
W.T.O. chief is here on a two-day visit to seek India's help
for reviving the negotiations.
Lamy's schedule includes meetings with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and Nath, besides interaction with industry
bodies like Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (F.I.C.C.I) and Confederation of Indian Industry
(C.I.I.) as also the civil society organisations like CUTS
International.
The W.T.O. chief said the success of the Doha Round can
result in worldwide duty cuts of 150 billion dollars a year.
Two-third of these cuts would be expected from the rich
nations. In other words, this would be the level of market
access for the developing countries.
However, he agreed that the present food crisis is also a
result of the lack of investment in the developing countries.
"One of the reasons for decline in production is the trade
distorting subsidies and high tariffs in the rich countries."
In his remarks, Nath said the devil lies in the details
of the proposals being put on the negotiating table. "If EU
says we are going to reduce tariffs for airplanes, what does
it mean for India and Africa," he asked at the meeting also
being attended by several diplomats from Africa.
Sending a signal to the American negotiators that India
would fully leverage the issue of high cotton subsidies in the
negotiations, Nath said: "I want to import cotton from Africa.
But if there is 40 percent subsidy in the US, my industry is
not going to buy it from Africa".
Nath was supported by Secretary General of the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development Supachai
Panitchpakdi. "I would have thought cotton would have become a
goodwill case...cotton must be tackled seriously," the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (U.N.C.T.A.D)
chief said.
Elaborating on the reasons of failure of the negotiations
between 30 trade ministers, Nath said India could not have
accepted a remedy against import surges with several strings
attached.
Differences over the level of Special Safeguard Mechanism
between the US and India proved to be a deal-breaker in
Geneva.
While developing countries are now seeking a safeguard
mechanism to protect their farmers, "I learnt that developed
countries had already been using it for the last 14 years,"
Nath said.
He said India wanted a "reasonable figure (of SSM) and
"it must have a reasonable remedy," adding that while he was
ready to negotiate "numbers", he could "not negotiate attitude
and mindset." PTI YAS
Trade Organisation (W.T.O.) that it is ready for another go at
reaching a world trade agreement, talks for which were
initiated in Doha seven years ago, if flaws in multilateral
rules are removed.
"If the basis of the round (Doha negotiations) has to see
a change in its very objectives, it would be a tough going for
global trade integration," Commerce and Industry Minister
Kamal Nath said here in the presence of W.T.O. Director
General Pascal Lamy.
Nath, who was sharing the dais with Lamy at a CUTS-FICCI
conference on global development goals, said: "Revival of the
weakest" and "not survival of the fittest" should form the
core of the negotiations for reaching an agreement.
Otherwise, a renewed attempt being made by Lamy and
others to bring the talks back on rail could meet the fate of
the recently abandoned talks in Geneva. While India is keen
on resumption of multilateral negotiations, it cannot be
expected to accept the flaws -- the price developing countries
are being asked to pay for developed countries to cut
subsidies, he said.
Nath was responding to Lamy's remarks that if W.T.O.
cannot reach a deal, the US agricultural trade distorting
subsidies could see a sharp jump to over 48 billion dollars a
year from ceiling of 14.5 billion dollars, which the Bush
administration had offered at the Geneva Mini-Ministerial
Meeting.
If the Round was not to conclude, "the US will be able to
spend much more (on subsidies)," Lamy said.
Within two weeks of the collapse of Geneva talks, the
W.T.O. chief is here on a two-day visit to seek India's help
for reviving the negotiations.
Lamy's schedule includes meetings with Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh and Nath, besides interaction with industry
bodies like Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and
Industry (F.I.C.C.I) and Confederation of Indian Industry
(C.I.I.) as also the civil society organisations like CUTS
International.
The W.T.O. chief said the success of the Doha Round can
result in worldwide duty cuts of 150 billion dollars a year.
Two-third of these cuts would be expected from the rich
nations. In other words, this would be the level of market
access for the developing countries.
However, he agreed that the present food crisis is also a
result of the lack of investment in the developing countries.
"One of the reasons for decline in production is the trade
distorting subsidies and high tariffs in the rich countries."
In his remarks, Nath said the devil lies in the details
of the proposals being put on the negotiating table. "If EU
says we are going to reduce tariffs for airplanes, what does
it mean for India and Africa," he asked at the meeting also
being attended by several diplomats from Africa.
Sending a signal to the American negotiators that India
would fully leverage the issue of high cotton subsidies in the
negotiations, Nath said: "I want to import cotton from Africa.
But if there is 40 percent subsidy in the US, my industry is
not going to buy it from Africa".
Nath was supported by Secretary General of the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development Supachai
Panitchpakdi. "I would have thought cotton would have become a
goodwill case...cotton must be tackled seriously," the United
Nations Conference on Trade and Development (U.N.C.T.A.D)
chief said.
Elaborating on the reasons of failure of the negotiations
between 30 trade ministers, Nath said India could not have
accepted a remedy against import surges with several strings
attached.
Differences over the level of Special Safeguard Mechanism
between the US and India proved to be a deal-breaker in
Geneva.
While developing countries are now seeking a safeguard
mechanism to protect their farmers, "I learnt that developed
countries had already been using it for the last 14 years,"
Nath said.
He said India wanted a "reasonable figure (of SSM) and
"it must have a reasonable remedy," adding that while he was
ready to negotiate "numbers", he could "not negotiate attitude
and mindset." PTI YAS
