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Shri Kamal Nath, Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, has called for achieving results in the forthcoming Sixth Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) at Hong Kong so that global trade not only becomes free but also fair. He cautioned against converting Doha Development Round to a Market Access Round, while speaking at the G-20 Ministerial Meeting at Bhurban in Pakistan today.
He also called for continued maintenance of unity among G-20 and G-33, Africa Group, ACP and LDC to achieve development dimensions of the Doha agenda. “Talks of progressivity within band is nothing but reintroduction of the concept of harmonisation in market access, a concept which was rejected at the mini Ministerial held at Dalian, China in July this year”, he emphasised. He reiterated that the developed countries should be prepared to accept 100/100 concept in agriculture wherein the developed countries bind 100% of their tariff lines (or special duties) in ad valorem terms with a cap in tariffs at 100%.
Around 120 delegates from G-20 member countries are attending the two-day Meeting being held to assess progress of the current Doha Round negotiations in the WTO since the important G-20 Ministerial Meeting which was held in New Delhi last March and to evolve the G-20 strategy for the negotiations on agriculture in the run-up to the WTO Ministerial Conference slated in Hong Kong in December 2005. The deliberations due to conclude tomorrow will also include consideration of the state of play in respect of the other areas of negotiations such as NAMA, Services, Trade Facilitation and Rules.
The G-20 has gained recognition as a central player in the WTO negotiations in agriculture and its proposals on each of the three pillars in the agriculture negotiations (i.e., domestic support, market access and export competition) made during the June-July 2005 consultations on the structural aspects of the modalities have been heralded as comprehensive, constructive and genuine middle ground. The G-20 Ministerial Meeting in Pakistan will take into account assessment on these consultations to be presented by Mr. Tim Groser, the outgoing Chairman of the WTO Committee on Agriculture, Special Session.
SB/MRS
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