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Grand alliance formed at WTO

N. Ravi Kumar

Developed nations come under pressure

Hong Kong: The World Trade Organisation will release the revised draft of its ongoing ministerial conference here on Saturday.

The announcement came on Friday even as the chances of the trade negotiators, of nearly 150 countries, arriving at a consensus on the Doha Development Round here grew remote in the face of developing countries, including India, sticking to their stand in the key sectors of agriculture and industrial tariff.

A senior executive said the draft was expected "by the middle of tomorrow." On the developments of the fourth day, he said there was neither breakthroughs nor breakdown.

The developing countries brought more pressure on the developed nations by forging a grand alliance with least developed countries (LDCs) and small economies. A joint statement released at a media briefing by leaders of the groups, including Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, said the groups recognised the importance of substantial improvements in market access for products in the markets of developed countries. It said the groups had decided to "better coordinate their efforts to develop a common approach to issues of common interest."

Unprecedented: FICCI

Describing it as "an unprecedented alliance," the Federation of India Chambers of Commerce and Industry said it was the most significant of the developments so far in the ministerial.

Complimenting Mr. Nath on his efforts towards `coalition building," a FICCI statement said the move could be vital to achieve a more equitable and pro-development outcome. "The alliance would effectively counter some developed countries' concerted attempts to divide the developing countries in the WTO context," said Amit Mitra, FICCI secretary general.

Earlier, in an informal chat with the Indian press delegation, Mr. Nath said India would not move in the agricultural negotiations unless the developed countries set a definite end date for elimination of all forms of export subsidies. Such subsidies kept the prices of agricultural products in the international market at artificially low levels and adversely impacted the interests of poor farmers in developing countries such as India making it difficult for them get remunerative returns for their produce.

There would be no movement as far as India was concerned in industrial tariffs (Non-Agricultural Market Access) too, without the flexibilities in tariff reduction commitments that were required to protect domestic industries in India.

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