With US unwilling, Doha pact not possible this year: Khullar

NEW DELHI: With the US not ready for the Doha deal owing to its domestic compulsions, the WTO agreement on opening the global trade cannot be reached this year, Commerce Secretary Rahul Khullar said today.

"The deal is not going to get done in 2010," Khullar said at a CII seminar, adding it was likely next year.

The multilateral trade agreement under negotiations among 153 members of the World Trade Organisation since 2001 was to be concluded in 2004. Since then, it has missed several deadlines in the face of differences between developing and developed countries on giving commitments on market opening.

Khullar said the US had its own domesic compulsions and was not ready for signing the agreement.

"...The US is not ready yet,whatever be the compulsion, political or economic or very high unemployment. Right now, it is not happening. At this point of time we should primarily be focussing for the best in 2011," he said.

Khullar expressed hope that serious negotiations might begin only in January. With Congress elections in November, political rhetoric in the US in favour protectionism has increased in the last few weeks. India is particularly perturbed on ban on offshore outsourcings by Ohio.