|
Back
INDIA OPPOSED TO ADDING NEW NON-TRADE ISSUES TO WTO AGENDA
Date : 15 Dec 2000
Location : New Delhi
India is not in favour of overloading the WTO agenda with wide-ranging new rounds of negotiations and is, in any case, opposed to adding of new non-trade issues on theWTO Agenda such as core labour standards, environmentalissues,coherent globalarchitecture, investmentand competition policy. India is, however, prepared for a few new items being taken up for negotiations, provided implementation issues arising from the Uruguay Round are also resolved to its satisfaction.
The Ministerial Meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) was held on 12-13 November 2000 in Bandar Seri Bagwan, Brunei, Darussalam. While reaffirming their support to the launch of a new round of multilateral trade negotiations at the earliest opportunity, the APEC Joint Ministerial Statement states that they have agreed that the successful and expeditious launch of a new round requires an agenda that is balanced and sufficiently broad-based to respond to the interests and concerns of all WTO members. With this in mind, they have called on delegations in Geneva to agree on an agenda in 2001 and urged all WTO members to muster the political will and exercise flexibility. They have, inter-alia, commended the confidence building measures adopted in the WTO, including those on market access for the least developed economies and those addressing concerns over aspects of the implementation of WTO agreements. This was also reiterated in the APEC Economic Leaders’ Declaration on 16th November, 2000.
This information was given by Shri Omar Abdullah, Minister of State for Commerce and Industry, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
**************
SB/AG/MRS
|
Archives
