India for devloping nations' proactive role

India on Monday said that developing countries should proactively participate in the ongoing services negotiations as the human-resources based sector offered promise of high growth rate and poverty alleviation.

Addressing the first ministerial meeting of the G-90 at Port Louis in Mauritius, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said "liberalisation of developed countries' markets for the skilled and semi-skilled personnel should be a major priority for developing countries in the current negotiations".

G-90 is a grouping of least developed countries, African Union, Africa, Carribbean and Pacific countries.

Referring to the G-20 proposal on agriculture market access, Kamal Nath said the group had emphasised the need for maintaining a balance among the three pillars, namely domestic support, export competition and market access. He said the proposed framework agreement at the World Trade Organisation should provide for less than full reciprocity for developing countries.

"Development concerns of developing countries must remain at the heart of negotiations in agriculture," he said.

Acknowledging the close bond between G-90 and G-20, he said both had a vital stake in ensuring a pro-development outcome under the Doha work programme, an official release said here.

The minister said "a common well coordinated strategy between the G-90 and the G-20, based on the common good of developing countries will take us closer to this goal."

The minister said India and G-20 would like to work closely with the cotton producers in the G-90 to remove the present distortions and to win a fair deal for competition. While seeking real market access in the developed countries, the minister said there was also a need to expand trade among developing countries.