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A trade envoy has told that India, along with other nations, thwarted the combined efforts of the United States, Australia, and Canada to make a draft of the commitments in Doha services talks based on points put forth by trade ministers during the unsuccessful ministerial meet previous year.
At an “enchilada” meet called by the chairperson Ambassador Fernando De Mateo for Doha services negotiations, India refused to approve the draft scheduling based on the points expressed by trade ministers in July 2008. India said that the signals were contingent on many other issues in the deferred Doha trade agreements.
The enchilada meet is a forum in which few chosen trade envoys participate to push the Doha services negotiations. India has made some demands in the forum.
Growing nations have reacted strongly against the preparation of the draft schedule of commitments without first deciding on the market access commitments in industrial and agriculture items as mentioned under the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration.
Apart from this, the draft schedules that do not have any legal support is always sought as a negotiating platform for more demands without handling the pending issues in the Doha services agreements. The trade enjoy told, “We have ensured the burial of the intermediate product being pushed by the US, Canada and Australia”.
Along with other nations, India stressed upon incorporating strict GATS (General Agreement on Trade in Services) rules and proper disciplines for national regulation to make sure that market access commitments are properly implemented.
Pascal Lamy, the chief of World Trade Organization (WTO), would update the trade envoys on the status of Doha trade negotiations. One of the trade envoys from a developed nation told, “Lamy will like the world to believe that there is an intensification of Doha negotiations but the truth is nothing is happening on the ground because of several factors, especially the US’ reluctance to make any bold moves in Doha trade negotiations”.
However, some of the trade envoys are ready to boost their bilateral and plurilateral exchanges in the Doha services negotiations during the week beginning from November 9 in order to seek the clear picture of the market access outcome related to what is being followed in the industrial and agriculture items. Business Standard
October 23, 2009
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