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No new issues at WTO without consensus: Maran

BS Economy Bureau

India has said that no new issues should be included in the negotiating agenda of the World Trade Organisation unless there is explicit consensus on the subject. It has also said that the implementation issues should be addressed upfront.

Speaking at the informal meeting of WTO trade ministers ahead of the conference in Doha, commerce and industry minister Murasoli Maran said developed countries need to show a sense of urgency and political will for resolving the implementation concerns of developing countries arising out of the non-fulfilment of promises made by developed nations in the Uruguay Round.

"Talking about a 'round' before deciding on the agenda is akin to putting the cart before the horse.

Clearly, the primary issue is not really as to whether there will be a round or not but the issue really relates to what is the agenda which is acceptable to all the members," Maran said at the meeting held in Mexico on August 31 and September 1.

At the general council of the WTO in May last year, developed countries had agreed to solving implementation concerns raised by India and other developing nations.

"Unless the development deficit in the current WTO rules is made good through meaningful decisions on implementation issues, it will be difficult to convince people that the WTO is a just and equitable system," the minister said.

In a statement issued in New Delhi on Wednesday, the commerce department said that even after substantial deliberations at the informal ministerial meet, substantial differences remained in many areas. The developing countries once again raised the implementation issues.

On the proposal for an agreement on government procurement, Maran told ministers from the other 16 countries, which attended the meeting that India was not in a position to go along with the idea of mandatory opening of government procurement to foreign suppliers.

On investment, the minister also said India was already opening up its economy to foreign investment and a binding multilateral agreement in the WTO would only curtail the country's development policy options besides bringing about inequities between its rights and obligations.

Regarding environment, Maran said that it was being used by some countries 'as a Trojan horse' to protectionist trends.

He also said India was approaching the negotiations on agriculture with the objective of removal of trade distortions in major subsidising countries, which distorted world trade and was also seeking flexibility to support agriculture in developing countries.

He said that the Doha ministerial declaration should acknowledge the legitimate concerns of the developing countries with regard to food and livelihood security, rural development and employment, guarantee real and special and differential treatment and recognise the inter-linkage among the three pillars of negotiations of domestic support, export competition and market access.

On trade facilitation, Maran said that India believes that harmonisation of non-preferential rules of origin must be completed as per the extended time-frame.

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