G110 raises pitch on agriculture

The developing countries today staged a show of unity and strength with the G-20 and the G-90 coming together for an alliance of 110 members.

The newly-formed alliance warned that their main intention was to ensure that the developmental component of the round was intact and issues of their common interest were addressed.

The groups "" which include the G-20, G-33, the ACP (African, the Caribbean and the Pacific), the least developed countries, the African group and the small economies "" also said agriculture was the key to development.

With the LDC package and the negotiations on cotton, agriculture and non-agriculture heading nowhere, the coming together of so many developing nations is expected to intensify pressure on developed countries, particularly the US and the EU.

However, Celso Amorim, Brazilian foreign affairs minister and coordinator of the G-20, said, "This is not an alliance against anyone. We don't want the real problems (being faced by the developing countries) to be used as a smoke-screen by the developed countries to block efforts."

Dipak Patel, commerce and industry minister of Zambia and head of the Least Developed Country group, said that in reference of the development package for LDCs that a lot of countries were talking about the domestic problems in giving access to their markets.

"The LDCs have less than one per cent share of the world trade and therefore we find it inconceivable that people would demonstrate on the streets of Europe to oppose helping the poorest people. These are political problems not domestic ones," he said.

In a joint statement, the groups said they had decided to better coordinate their efforts in order to develop a common approach to issues of common interest.

The statement said the groups intended to intensify their dialogue.

"The round must result in the removal of the distortions that inhibit the export growth of developing countries and the provision of adequate policy space to ensure their sustainable socio-economic development.

"They called upon the developed countries to agree to the complete elimination of export support measures by 2010 while addressing concretely the specific needs of LDCs and net food importing countries," the statement said.

The group reaffirmed their support for LDC demands for duty-free and quota free market access and recognised the need for a concrete outcome in Hong Kong on this issue.

They also stressed the need for a commitment at the Hong Kong meet to address the issue of cotton "ambitiously, expeditiously and specifically".

Several NGOs including Oxfam and Action Aid welcomed the formation of the alliance.