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 Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2008 7:41 am Post subject: WTO chief Pascal visiting New Delhi |
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http://www.pr-inside.com/wto-chief-lamy-to-meet-indian-r750037.htm
2008-08-12 09:03:07 - WTO Director General Pascal Lamy will meet PM
Manmohan Singh in New Delhi, he is here to get overall India's views
on the options before the International trade body to bring the
beleaguered Doha Round of trade talks to logical conclusions.
Pascal Lamy's two-day visit to New Delhi beginning on Tuesday will
give him an opportunity for discussions with Commerce and Industry
Minister Kamal Nath, as well as representatives of the industry,
sources said.
'Few would contest the benefits that globalization and trade have
brought in terms of greater prosperity for hundreds of millions, as
well as greater stability among nations. But
many individuals in different societies across the world have shared
little or not all in the benefits. The challenges facing governments
in managing globalization are formidable, and success in spreading
prosperity more widely requires a strong common purpose' says WTO
Director-General Pascal Lamy
The WTO Chief's visit is likely to be followed by one to the US where
he would meet trade officials and try to bring them on board for
maintaining the momentum to conclude the Doha trade talks that was
launched in 2001.
His visit comes days after the WTO mini-ministerial meeting in Geneva
collapsed on the issue of safeguard for farmers from the developing
countries against import surges.
The disagreement in the Geneva meeting was mainly between the US on
the one side and India and China on the other and India projecting the
interest of its agrarian interest.
India view
India said, besides China, over 100 developing and least developed
countries were backing the cause of poor farmers.
Commerce and Industries Minister Kamal Nath expressed dissatisfaction
over the collapse of the talks."I feel disappointed that this has to
be the end result. We have been running the miles for the last three
years"It is unfortunate that in a development round we could not move
because of the issue of livelihood security. G 33 and the developing
countries are concerned about the issues which affect the poor and
subsistence farmers," he told reporters before going to the Trade
Negotiating Committee (TNC) meeting."My confidence in the institution
of WTO remains intact. All work that has been put in will remain
intact and we will take this up and move forward," he said.The blame
game started on expected lines. US blamed India and China for creating
hurdles in the ongoing WTO talks in Geneva and said Doha trade talks
have been thrown into the "gravest jeopardy" by these two countries
which are not willing to open their markets for more imports.
China view
China media reports that trade officials said in Geneva yesterday that
a high-level summit to salvage a global trade pact collapsed, after
the United States, China and India failed to agree on farm import
rules.Trade officials from two developed and one emerging economy said
that a meeting of seven commercial powers broke up without agreement
at the World Trade Organization (WTO) yesterday.
The officials said a US dispute with China and India over farm import
safeguards had effectively ended any hope of a breakthrough.
When in India, Lamy would be participating in a two-day international
conference on 'Global Partnership for Development' being jointly
organised here by think-tank CUTS International and industry body
FICCI.
Naresh Sagar
Author:
Naresh Sagar
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Web: www.nksagar.com
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