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SAARC members approve India's WTO stand

The SAARC ministerial meeting on Thursday gave its stamp of approval to India's stand on WTO in its joint declaration, which stresses on resolution of implementation concerns upfront and greater market access by developed countries.

The 15-point joint statement issued at the end of a two-day meeting to evolve a common front on WTO issues, reiterated India's stand that implementation issues which was a fallout of the Uruguay round, should be resolved upfront without any extraneous linkages.

The declaration also called for increased market access opportunities to be provided by the developed countries to facilitate industrialisation in developing countries by eliminating trade-distorting subsidies, non-tariff barriers and unreasonable protectionist measures.

The statement expressed deep disappointment "on the lack of a meaningful progress despite a clear decision in May 2000 by the WTO General Council that these issues have to be addressed and decisions taken for appropriate action not later than the Fourth WTO Ministerial Conference.

"Any further delay was likely to erode the credibility of the multilateral trading system among the developing and the least developing countries," it said.

Diwan said India's case for reopening of the TRIPS agreement was on a weak wicket because a strong database had not been made on aroma, cooking quality, expansion index and other features of the Basmati grain.

Such data was in fact critical to challenge the claims of RiceTec on the ricelines being unique, added Sahai.

Environmentalist Vanadana Shiva said government's recent efforts to protect Basmati rice under Geographical Indicator Act would be futile as the law had its jurisdiction only within the country.

She said the TRIPS Agreement had to be reopened and given a more holistic outlook by including not only other products as GIs but also make provisions for the biodiversity rights of the developing countries.

The benefits of including GI products under TRIPS would accrue to only Darjeeling tea and Basmati rice and not to other products like neem, haldi and karela which came under biodiverse wealth, she said.

Further cheaper access to patented products like medicines for AIDS and seeds for farmers should also be provided for.

But Brussels-based lawyer Diego de Notaris cautioned that renegotiating agreements could open a pandora box as developed nations would then press for inclusion of their proposals much to the detriment of developing ones.

Diwan, Shiva and Sahai said even now hardly any information was available on the kind of distinguishing features Basmati varieties had, their growing characteristics and the range of qualities expressed in their rice grains.

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