GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
LOK SABHA
STARREDQUESTION NO: 171
ANSWERED ON: 22.11.2010
DOHA ROUND TALKS H
(a) the details regarding the contentious issues in Doha Round tals and the meetingsconferences held recently to resolve the said issues;
(b) whether some countries are willing to reconsider their earlier decisions;
(c) if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether US is achieving its obective of liberalisation of marets by developing countries through bilateral trade tals; and
(e) if so, the details thereof and the steps being taen by the Government to remove the bottlenecs of Doha tals?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY (SHRI ANAND SHARMA)
(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House. STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 171 FOR ANSWER ON 22nd NOVEMBER 2010 REGARDING DOHA ROUND TALKS
(a) The Doha Round of trade negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) covers a wide range of subects including Agriculture, Non-agricultural Maret Access (NAMA), Services, Rules etc. In each area there are several contentious unresolved issues, such as, the proposed reductions in domestic subsidies, including cotton subsidies, proposals on Sensitive Products, tariff capping and the Special Safeguard Mechanism in agriculture, additional tariff reductions in specific industrial goods sectors (sectoral initiatives) in NAMA; liberaliation of trade in services, development of disciplines on domestic disciplines such as ualifications and licensing reuirements and procedures; disciplines on fisheries subsidies (including the etent and scope of the special and differential treatment to developing countries and the attached conditionalities) and several other issues in the area of WTO Rules.
Discussions have been taing place on each area of the negotiations in the respective negotiating groups,in the WTO, supplemented by bilateral and plurilateral meetings and deliberations in coalitions of countries with similar interests on specific issues.
(b) (c) While meetings are being held on a regular basis, there is no discernible change in positions of Members on the various contentious issues.
(d) (e) The United States has taen the position that the creation of new trade flows and meaningful maret opening , particularly in ey emerging marets, namely, India, China and Brail, is the ey to Doha Round success. India and several other countries have consistently emphasised that the purpose of the negotiations could not be to meet the unrealistic demands of one or more members for additional maret access, but to arrive at a balanced outcome in line with the development mandate of the Round.
Following the stalemate in the negotiations after the mini-Ministerial meeting in the WTO in July 2008, India sent out a strong signal of support by hosting an informal Ministerial meeting in New Delhi, in September 200, to re-energise the Round. Negotiations resumed in the WTO soon afterwards. India has consistently epressed its commitment to a strong rules-based multilateral trading system and has been woring closely with ey developed countries, including the United States, and other developing countries, towards a balanced and development-oriented conclusion of the Doha Round.