India pushes for early conclusion of Doha trade

India today impressed upon important WTO members, including the US, that reaching a multi-lateral agreement for opening the trade is essential to strengthen the global economic recovery.

The point was driven home by Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma in his bilateral meetings with trade ministers of the US, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, China, France, Brazil and South Africa at Paris on the margins of the OECD meeting.

"The minister (Sharma) emphasized that an early conclusion of the Doha Round was essential to strengthen global economic recovery from the deep recession in several parts of the world," a Commerce Ministry statement said.

It said the ministers have "agreed to intensify their political dialogue to speed up the negotiations".

Sharma also attended an informal meeting of trade ministers convened by Australia in which ministers and senior officials from 20 countries were present.

The discussions centred around finding "a way out of the stalemate in the Doha Round negotiations of the WTO", it said.

Sharma also addressed a gathering convened by Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. He emphasised that the greater economic cooperation among nations was no longer an option but a necessity in the face of the rapidly changing global economic environment.

After the collapse of the Doha Round of talks in July, 2008, India took a major step to re-engage key WTO members, including the US, in September, 2009. Since then, official level talks in Geneva to conclude the negotiations have been unable to make any breakthrough.

In 2001, the WTO had launched a negotiating round for reaching a new agreement on opening global trade among its 153 member countries. However, differences between the developing and developed countries over the level of market opening and protection have come in the way of any agreement despite several efforts.