Ahead of the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting here, officials from 35 countries met today. Minister-level discussions aimed at restarting the Doha Round of trade talks will begin mid-day tomorrow and end on Friday.
As the objective of the Delhi ministerial meeting is to develop convergence among major groups and members on issues relating to resumption and intensification of the Doha Round negotiations, today’s discussion, chaired by India’s Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar, was confined to process-related issues. “The intention was to gauge whether a broad-based consensus could be arrived at on how ministers would like to see the process of negotiation fast-tracked,” said a press statement.
A discussion paper circulated by India about 10 days before the meeting on some of these process-related issues formed the basis of discussion. Participants discussed the issue of timelines for completing modalities in agriculture and NAMA and for revised offers in services; the sequence in which all areas being negotiated under the Doha Round are to be completed; the need to ensure commensurate progress in other areas, such as Rules, TRIPS, Trade and Environment and the evolution of a balanced outcome within an agreed timeframe; the modalities for intensification of work in negotiating groups and for official-level meetings of WTO members in order to meet the 2010 timeline set by the global leadership.
In light of the importance and integrity of the multilateral process as a tried and tested process, participants also discussed the issue of the extent to which other forms of engagement — such as bilateral or plurilateral discussion — could serve to hasten the negotiating process without compromising on its inclusiveness, and also how the multilateral process could subsume the understanding developed through bilateral processes.
The development mandate, which is the bedrock of the Doha Round was emphasised and it was stated that focus had to be maintained on development concerns in developing and least developed countries.
Ministers from key countries, including the US, European Union, Australia, Brazil, China, South Africa and Canada landed in the Capital. WTO director-general Pascal Lamy will also be part of the meeting. Commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma held bilateral meetings with Australian minister of trade Simon Crean, New Zealand’s Tim Groser and Britain’s Douglas Alexander. US trade representative Ron Kirk is on his maiden visit to India to attend the ministerial meeting, with bilateral talks with India likely to be left for a later visit.
The visiting ministers will also be meeting Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Friday. The ministerial will be held in Delhi’s Taj Palace hotel, with most of the delegates staying either there or in the adjoining Maurya Sheraton, said an official.
In contrast to the colour and hype surrounding the meet, there will be heightened activity in the central part of the city, with farmers led by the Left parties protesting against the conclave. “In the context of the global recession and the drought afflicting Indian agriculture, any deal in the WTO which leads to deep cuts in agricultural and industrial tariffs will ruin the peasantry and small and medium industries. The initiative of the Indian Government to “break the deadlock” in the Doha Round seems to be driven by pressure from the developed countries like the United States, rather than by national interest,” said S P Shukla, convenor, Indian People’s Conclave on WTO, in a press statement.
The meeting is not likely to come out with any formal declaration, though it will have an air of familiarity, with protests by farmers and non-government agencies, something that has become characteristic of all WTO talks.
