India focuses on development, spells out priorities for Cancun

TOKYO: India expressed serious concern over the slow progress in WTO over development-related issues Trips, public health and implementation issues and said resolution for these were the sine qua non for the success of the next ministerial conference of the body at Cancun in September.
During an informal meeting of the Ministers of Trade and Agriculture of about 20 World Trade Organisation member countries at the final day of the mini-ministerial here, Minister of Commerce and Industry Arun Jaitley stressed the need to restore the development agenda as the central focus of WTO negotiations, as mandated in the Doha Ministerial Declaration.
He also cited the slow progress in the area of Special and Differential Treatment.
India was strongly supported on this by the other participating developing countries at the Tokyo meet, including Brazil, Kenya, Costa Rica, Nigeria, Lesotho and Senegal.
Participants from many developing countries also acknowledged the need to adhere to the deadlines for making headway in the negotiations.
Consequently, the Ministers resolved to make a fresh effort to achieve progress in these areas, which are of vital interest to the developing countries.
The first draft of the modalities on the negotiations in agriculture was also discussed in Tokyo.
As anticipated, there were sharp differences between the EC and the US and the Cairns group on this draft.
Minister for Agriculture Ajit Singh strongly emphasised the highest priority that India would give the protection of her farmers and their well-being. As far as India is concerned, there are some positive features in the draft in the form of provisions for Special and Differential Treatment for developing countries in the area of agriculture.
However, India has reservations on the proposed reduction in the bound rate of tariffs and therefore, while noting some of the positive aspects, the agriculture minister pointed out the lack of flexibility that India had on market access in agriculture.
On market access in non-agricultural products, Jaitley highlighted India''s proactive agenda in consonance with New Delhi''s domestic policy of autonomous liberalisation.
He strongly advocated increased market access for products of export interest to India such as textiles, leather and other goods.
He also flagged the need to protect certain domestic sectors and to ensure that India''s revenue needs are not compromised because of liberalisation.
In the services sector, India has expressed its strong interest.
Jaitley also expressed India''s interest in the movement of natural persons as service providers and asked for greater liberalisation in this mode of delivery of services.