Lamy visit next week may break ice on WTO
WTO chief Pascal Lamy is visiting India - the country which shared the blame with the US for wrecking the negotiations.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: Days after the collapse of talks at the mini-ministerial of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, WTO chief Pascal Lamy is visiting India ��� the country which shared the blame with the US for wrecking the negotiations. While the director general will be in New Delhi to attend a private function next week, he will also hold talks with the government on how to move the Doha round forward.
���Mr Lamy would be visiting next week. He is coming here for discussion with the government and industry,��� commerce secretary G K Pillai said. Mr Lamy will be in New Delhi on August 12-13. ���I presume his attention would be on the industrial sector,��� Mr Pillai said.
While it was agriculture and not industry which led to the break-down of talks in Geneva, all was not hunky dory in the non-agriculture market access (Nama) talks. India had objected to the attempts made at the ministerial to make sectoral commitments mandatory. Sectoral commitments refer to eliminating duties or bringing about steep cuts in import tariffs of goods in 15 identified sectors including textile, leather, gems & jewellery and auto components.
India argued that WTO members should be free to decide whether they want to participate in the sectoral negotiations, and participation should not be made mandatory or linked to incentives. The EU and the US, on the other hand, wanted sectoral negotiations to be mandatory.
���While India could participate in sectoral negotiations in areas like gems & jewellery where it is competitive, it is
out of the question to take on additional tariff reduction commitments in areas such as textiles or auto where our sensitivities lie,��� an official source said.
However, there are chances that official level talks would restart at the WTO headquarters in September after the August break. Attempts would then be made to consolidate the gains made in the Geneva talks and preserve it till the time ministerial discussions begin again next year.
���Mr Lamy would be visiting next week. He is coming here for discussion with the government and industry,��� commerce secretary G K Pillai said. Mr Lamy will be in New Delhi on August 12-13. ���I presume his attention would be on the industrial sector,��� Mr Pillai said.
While it was agriculture and not industry which led to the break-down of talks in Geneva, all was not hunky dory in the non-agriculture market access (Nama) talks. India had objected to the attempts made at the ministerial to make sectoral commitments mandatory. Sectoral commitments refer to eliminating duties or bringing about steep cuts in import tariffs of goods in 15 identified sectors including textile, leather, gems & jewellery and auto components.
India argued that WTO members should be free to decide whether they want to participate in the sectoral negotiations, and participation should not be made mandatory or linked to incentives. The EU and the US, on the other hand, wanted sectoral negotiations to be mandatory.
���While India could participate in sectoral negotiations in areas like gems & jewellery where it is competitive, it is
out of the question to take on additional tariff reduction commitments in areas such as textiles or auto where our sensitivities lie,��� an official source said.
ADVERTISEMENT
After the break-down in the Geneva meeting, there is no official time-table on how the Doha talks would progress. With the US preparing for its year-end presidential elections, it is not possible to have serious ministerial negotiations again till the new US government and commerce department are in place by the middle of 2009.However, there are chances that official level talks would restart at the WTO headquarters in September after the August break. Attempts would then be made to consolidate the gains made in the Geneva talks and preserve it till the time ministerial discussions begin again next year.
Download
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
The Economic Times Business News App for the Latest News in Business, Sensex, Stock Market Updates & More.
Download
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
The Economic Times News App for Quarterly Results, Latest News in ITR, Business, Share Market, Live Sensex News & More.
ADVERTISEMENT
