Stalled Doha rounds to resume in Delhi today
Friday, 4 September 2009
From Fazle Rashid
NEW YORK, Sept 03: The stalled Doha rounds of talk aimed at achieving a breakthrough in clinching a trade deal that will be fair to both the developed and developing countries is resuming in the Indian capital of New Delhi today. The last round of talks broke down with the US and India taking intractable stand.
The talks assume a new dimension in the light of crippling economic meltdown.
Two days of talks are not expected to produce a breakthrough. Even the optimistic forecast for the long running negotiations known as Doha Development Round does not foresee any agreement until the end of next year, the New York Times (NYT) reported. It will however send a strong signal to the leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) who are meeting this month in Pittsburgh.
Trade ministers from the rest of the world often complained that India's former trade minister Kamal Nath was brusque, impatient and unwilling to engage in detailed negotiations to find compromises. For India this meeting provides an opportunity to recast itself as a proponent for the Doha talks after earning a reputation as an obstructionist, the NYT bluntly said.
Kamal Nath has been replaced by Anand Sharma as trade minister. Sharma who served as India's foreign ministry spokesman is said to have both domestic and political influence and an appreciation for the art of diplomacy. Personalities clearly matter in driving this debate, said Eswar Prasad who teaches at the Cornell University and has advised Indian government on economic issues.
And for Ron Kirk, America's new trade representative, the time will be hard because there is no support for the Doha round back home. Ron Kirk does not have all the staff he needs to work with. The United States has not yet named its ambassador to the WTO in Geneva. The big issues for the Obama White House are health care and climate change. The Obama administration is clearly not willing to give a big push to the talks.
An FT Syndication Service report by James Lamont in New Delhi adds: India and the US have the political will to conclude the long-delayed World Trade Organisation's Doha round, Simon Crean, Australia's trade minister, said the other day.
Speaking on the eve of a meeting of 39 trade ministers in New Delhi, Mr Crean said the talks were in their final stage and called for an intensification of negotiations. "So far as the round is concerned, we are very close to its conclusion," he said. "We are now in the end-game of the Doha negotiations."
The Australian minister's emphasis on the political will of the newly elected government of Manmohan Singh and the administration of Barack Obama is important. India's agricultural sector, a key concern of its negotiators, is facing one of its worst monsoons for 30 years, while the US economy is reeling from the global financial crisis. These adversities have led some experts to believe that a deal is out of reach.
Although Indian policymakers have complained about a rise in protectionism among the western trading partners of Asia's third largest economy and an upsurge in non-tariff barriers, Delhi has signalled over the past two months a renewed commitment to conclude the Doha round, following the appointment of Anand Sharma as commerce minister.
NEW YORK, Sept 03: The stalled Doha rounds of talk aimed at achieving a breakthrough in clinching a trade deal that will be fair to both the developed and developing countries is resuming in the Indian capital of New Delhi today. The last round of talks broke down with the US and India taking intractable stand.
The talks assume a new dimension in the light of crippling economic meltdown.
Two days of talks are not expected to produce a breakthrough. Even the optimistic forecast for the long running negotiations known as Doha Development Round does not foresee any agreement until the end of next year, the New York Times (NYT) reported. It will however send a strong signal to the leaders of the Group of Twenty (G20) who are meeting this month in Pittsburgh.
Trade ministers from the rest of the world often complained that India's former trade minister Kamal Nath was brusque, impatient and unwilling to engage in detailed negotiations to find compromises. For India this meeting provides an opportunity to recast itself as a proponent for the Doha talks after earning a reputation as an obstructionist, the NYT bluntly said.
Kamal Nath has been replaced by Anand Sharma as trade minister. Sharma who served as India's foreign ministry spokesman is said to have both domestic and political influence and an appreciation for the art of diplomacy. Personalities clearly matter in driving this debate, said Eswar Prasad who teaches at the Cornell University and has advised Indian government on economic issues.
And for Ron Kirk, America's new trade representative, the time will be hard because there is no support for the Doha round back home. Ron Kirk does not have all the staff he needs to work with. The United States has not yet named its ambassador to the WTO in Geneva. The big issues for the Obama White House are health care and climate change. The Obama administration is clearly not willing to give a big push to the talks.
An FT Syndication Service report by James Lamont in New Delhi adds: India and the US have the political will to conclude the long-delayed World Trade Organisation's Doha round, Simon Crean, Australia's trade minister, said the other day.
Speaking on the eve of a meeting of 39 trade ministers in New Delhi, Mr Crean said the talks were in their final stage and called for an intensification of negotiations. "So far as the round is concerned, we are very close to its conclusion," he said. "We are now in the end-game of the Doha negotiations."
The Australian minister's emphasis on the political will of the newly elected government of Manmohan Singh and the administration of Barack Obama is important. India's agricultural sector, a key concern of its negotiators, is facing one of its worst monsoons for 30 years, while the US economy is reeling from the global financial crisis. These adversities have led some experts to believe that a deal is out of reach.
Although Indian policymakers have complained about a rise in protectionism among the western trading partners of Asia's third largest economy and an upsurge in non-tariff barriers, Delhi has signalled over the past two months a renewed commitment to conclude the Doha round, following the appointment of Anand Sharma as commerce minister.