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In the most significant development on Sunday, July 27, the 7th day of WTO talks, groups representing about a 100 developing countries issued a joint statement criticising the points in the Lamy draft on Special Products (SP) and Special Safeguard Mechanism (SSM), and demanded that their own proposals be taken on board instead.
The common position of so many countries was a powerful counter to the view projected by developed countries, that it was mainly India and a few other countries like Indonesia that were against the SP and SSM portions of the Lamy draft.
The statement on SP and the SSM was issued on Sunday evening by the G33, the African Group, the ACP Group and the Small and Vulnerable Economies (SVEs). It was made available at the Green Room meeting on Sunday night and circulated at the Trade Negotiations Committee meeting on Monday.
Indian Commerce Minister Kamal Nath announced the statement's existence when he entered the WTO for the Green Room meeting on Sunday night. He said there are 100 countries which have made a statement on SP and SSM, expressing their concerns. "It's not India, it's about 100 countries," he said, adding that India has supported the statement.
The statement of about 100 developing nations said the groups had stated that the present G33 positions, which have evolved considerably over the last few months, reflect a fair basis for a final settlement. It gave figures on SP and SSM which reflect the limits of the flexibility that they can show on these issues. The joint statement said the sharp rise in global prices and the food crisis in large parts of the developing world have lent added urgency to the call of developing countries for effective safeguards in the WTO negotiations for trade liberalisation in Agriculture. These safeguards are at the core of the development outcome of the Round as they involve the concerns of food security, livelihood
security and rural development in developing countries. The most essential of the safeguards involve the instruments of SP and the SSM.
It is essential that the outcome on SP and SSM fully reflects the concerns of developing countries. "In the present context, when we are poised to complete the modalities in Agriculture, we have reviewed our position and come to the conclusion that the present G33 positions, which have evolved considerably over the last few months, reflect a fair basis for a final settlement."
Nevertheless, said the statement, in a spirit of constructive engagement, we are willing to show some flexibility in order to obtain a reasonable outcome. (Source: Suns)
July 30, 2008
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