WTO pleased over talks' progress

The World Trade Organisation has expressed happiness over the progress in negotiations, and is hopeful of clinching a framework for trade liberalisation talks by the time the new deadline ends in July.

"I believe the developments are very positive and encouraging. If the signs of flexibility and convergence that have emerged from the recent political level discussions can be continued I believe we have a very good chance of achieving our objectives in July. I believe the recent encouraging political signals suggest that this shape is indeed beginning to emerge, and this is very welcome," WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi said in his address to the General Council, the apex decision-making body with representatives from 147 member countries.

The WTO membership has repeatedly missed deadlines on arriving at the ground rules for negotiations. It has now set a fresh deadline for July end but the WTO chief has been pushing for agreeing on the shape of the framework earlier.

The present round of negotiations, launched in Doha in late 2001, were to be completed by the end of the year.

Panitchpakdi listed the announcement by the European Union to cut farm support and the subsequent discussions by trade ministers from key member countries on the sidelines of the OECD ministerial meeting in Paris, as signs of movement.

While he emphasised the need for including elements like implementation issues and operationalisation of some special and differential benefits for developing countries as elements of the framework, Panitchpakdi said that there appeared to be movement on agriculture too, the most contentious subject on the negotiating agenda.

To speed up the process, the WTO chief is likely to summon members at a General Council meeting on June 30.

In addition, the General Council chairman is expected to hold consultations with the country representatives, on an individual basis, around the beginning of next month.

While the director general said that there appeared some movement on agriculture, the WTO has acknowledged that there was still no convergence on the Singapore issues "" investment, competition policy, trade facilitation and government procurement.

India and a large number of developing countries have opposed the inclusion of the subjects in the present round of negotiations.

The European Union and Japan are the proponents of the issues which resulted in a collapse of trade talks in Cancun last September.