Search the Internet          Tips  Sites: Finance, Investment

India to reiterate position at Singapore WTO meet

India is expected to reiterate its position at the informal WTO ministerial meeting at Singapore beginning on October 13 that implementation issues be addressed upfront before including new items on the agenda for the Doha meet.

Commerce and Industry Minister Murasoli Maran is heading the Indian delegation, which includes commerce secretary Prabir Sengupta and Indian Ambassador to WTO in Geneva S Narayanan.

The meeting, likely to be attended by 21 countries including US and Pakistan is being seen as a last ditch attempt to forge a consensus between developed and developing countries on a new round of trade negotiations ahead of the fourth ministerial meeting at Doha in November.

The informal meeting is expected to follow up the progress made in the Mexico meeting earlier this year even though it remained unclear if the Doha meet would be held as scheduled in the face of US military strikes on Afghanistan and threat by al Qaeda to intensify its attack on US interests.

Singapore meet will discuss the draft declarations on the Doha ministerial and implementation concerns of the developing countries.

The meeting will also discuss the Singapore issues namely competition, investment, trade facilitation and transparency in government procurement.

Australia, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jamaica, Qatar, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania and Gabon are the other participants at the Singapore meet.

Tell us what you think of this report