The ongoing Doha Round of trade negotiations at the WTO will enter its “last phase” in September, to address the main areas of concern, including agriculture, and the results will be known by early October, WTO deputy director general, Mr Harsha Vardhana Singh, said.

“Member nations are willing to go forward; there is a convergence of views and the ground has been set for dealing with the nitty-gritties,” Mr Singh said addressing a FICCI meeting on WTO and Doha Negotiations: Closing the Gaps and the Way Forward.

India, he said, was sitting quite pretty as its main areas of concern had been largely addressed at the ongoing Doha Round as the trade negotiations enter the “last phase” with “reasonably good prospects for a successful conclusion”.

Mr Singh said the draft proposals released in mid-July had two important political aspects: one, they offer large degree of results for the very poor developing countries and two, the aid for trade initiative, which focused on transparency, building up supply side capacities, along with possibilities of enhanced aid, would be a blessing for the very poor nations.

On agriculture, Mr Singh said India’s concerns had been largely met, and the draft on agriculture showed sensitivity on the aspects of flexibility.

On non-agricultural market access (NAMA), the WTO official said the position was “very comfortable” for India and “we are very near the landing zone, which is not very far from the negotiating paper”.

Mr. Divya Aggarwal

Money Management Consultants Ltd

Senior Copy Editor, Money Management Consultants Ltd
New Delhi, India

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