Doha Talks

Doha talks had collapsed in Geneva in July 2008 after India, among others, opposed agriculture subsidies, offered by rich nations to their farmers on the grounds that this distorts trade by making produce of developing countries costly.


The chief negotiators are meeting in Geneva on September 14 to restart the entire process, irrespective of the substantive gaps in negotiations in Geneva, to take the Doha round to its successful conclusion.


The Indian government had earlier clarified that the meeting, in which negotiators from over 35 countries would focus on " process rather than content " sos discussions on specific issues were avoided.

Developed countries had to do much more than pay a mere "lip service" for development dimension of the Round, which has been in discussion for lest seven years. without any breath through. WTO negotiations have been facing a road block since December 2008. In order to expedite progress on the Doha Development Agenda (DDA) under WTO (World Trade Organization), India has proposed simultaneous negotiations in services along with issues on agriculture and non-agriculture market access (NAMA).


The inclusion of negotiation on services along with the other contentious topics like agriculture and NAMA with help countries like India in bargain, giving them greater maneuverability in trading off gains in one area against concessions they may have to yield in other acnes.


Under the Hang Kong ministerial meeting in 2005, an understanding was reached between member countries like a sequential approach would be adopted with negotiations on agriculture and NAMA being prioritized.


The two-day informal meeting of trade ministers of 35 WTO- member countries will deliberate on the time-line to conclude negotiations on the Doha development agenda by 2010 and not trying to resolve the contentious issues. Various issues in agriculture and NAMA are yet to be sorted out.


Yet, despite the hurdles 153 WTO member countries will doubtless face in building unity, there's room for cautious optimism. India and the US have new leaderships with seemingly fresh perspectives. The G-20 has called for political will to meet Doha's 2010 deadline.


There is consensus on the need to resist protectionism at a time boosted trade can help accelerate economic recovery, global or national. Given the reality of global economic interdependence, the need for a fair, rule-based free trade regime is obvious. But all indications the world's major tradings blocks are back to thinking that, pitfalls notwithstanding, dogged multilateral engagement is the only way to achieve it. That is encouraging in itself.