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WTO STALEMATE A WAKE-UP CALL – BENEFIT TO FARMERS, THE POOR AND JOBLESS SOLE CRITERIA FOR JUDGING SUCCESS OF DOHA ROUND: KAMAL NATH

Date : 29 Jul 2005
Location : New Delhi
 

Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, has termed the current stalemate in the WTO trade talks as a wake-up call and underlined that the world trading system must be equitable and fair, especially for the poor and vulnerable economies of the developing world if the process of multilateral trade negotiations is to move forward. “If there is a stalemate, it should not be seen as a failure. It only means that certain issues have so far not been adequately addressed and further negotiations are required to address these issues”, he said.

“The success of the current Doha Round of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) talks will be judged not by tariffs and formulae but by (a) how many jobs it can create in developing countries; (b) how much the income of farmers in developing countries has risen; and (c) how many poor people have been extricated from poverty”, Shri Kamal Nath told the Director General of WTO, Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi; the EU Trade Commissioner, Mr. Peter Mandelson; and the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mr. Shoichi Nakagawa during his interactions with them in Geneva last evening and today. He said that in the name of “ambition” (in the results to be achieved in the Round) the WTO should not lose sight of the crucial development dimension which was of critical importance to millions of poor people around the world.

During his talks with Mr. Peter Mandelson, it was indicated that India and the European Union would cooperate in making a submission to WTO to bring about greater clarity and disciplines in the area of anti-dumping.

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SB/MRS