The Hindu Business Line : WTO talks fail to gain momentum — `No question of compromise on agriculture'

THE sixth ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation failed to gain the desired momentum on Thursday, after two days of intensive deliberations among the trade negotiators, even as the developing and least developing countries continued efforts to build on their unity.

The negotiation, aimed at giving shape to the Doha Development Round, meandered along even as there were some indications of a revised draft of the ministerial declaration being announced on Friday.

All eyes on the fourth day of the conference, however, are expected to be on the crucial meeting of the G-90 and G-20 members — a grand coalition of 125 developed and least developing countries.

The Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr Kamal Nath, said the member-countries, together accounting for 80 per cent of the world's population, would state their common position on multilateral trade.

Noting the meetings were being conducted "practically round-the-clock," the Minister said the underlying objective behind such initiatives was, "put some movement on the text [ministerial declaration]."

He hoped that text should be ready by Friday. The developing countries, he said, remained steadfast on their stand that the talks on agriculture could not move without an offer, to them, on the Special Products and Special Safeguard Mechanism.

The developed countries, he said, should agree on the end date for elimination of export subsidies and reduction of domestic subsidies.

"There is no question of any compromise on agriculture and it should not be linked to NAMA (non-agricultural market access) and services," he declared.

On the LDCs demand for a duty-free, quota-free access (package) from the developed countries, he said India supported their case, even while pointing out the US and Japan wanted exceptions both in terms of the countries and the products. Asked whether India would also make a similar offer to the LDCs, Mr Kamal Nath said, "We have worked on a package, which would be announced by next month."

Earlier in the day, the US Trade Representative, Mr Rob Portman, said agriculture remained the lynchpin to successful completion of the Doha round. On the US offering a development package for the LDCs, he said: "I am hopeful of coming up with duty-free quota free access to LDCs ... US is already a very open market."