India stresses resuming Doha talks

India today emphasised the need for resuming talks on the WTO's stalled Doha Round, stating that the negotiating text for global trade can be the staring point for further talks.     

Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who is attending the Cairns group meeting in Bali, Indonesia, as a special invitee emphasised the need for resuming negotiations based on the draft reports on agriculture and industrial goods.     

Sharma, who met United States Trade Representative Ron Kirk on the sidelines of the meeting, agreed to take forward the multilateral negotiations.     

Disagreement between India and the US over reduction in tariffs led to the collapse of talks between the WTO member countries in July 2008 in Geneva.     

There are serious differences between developing and developed countries over the level to which they are willing to open their markets.     

Sharma and Kirk also agreed to review the US-India bilateral engagement during the visit of the Indian Commerce Minister to Washington later this month, an official statement said here.     

In his address to the Cairns group, a body of 19 farm product-exporting countries, Sharma reiterated India's commitment to successfully concluding the Doha process through a constructive engagement.

"...The 'development dimension' of the Doha Round must be central to all discussions and the aspirations of all developing countries for a fair trading regime must be recognised," the statement said.     

As many as 153 member countries of the WTO have been unsuccessfully trying to reach an agreement under the mandate of the Doha Round launched in 2001 for making global trade more open.     

Sharma also met with his counterparts from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia and Indonesia.     

"He is scheduled to hold discussions with WTO Director General Pascal Lamy tomorrow," the statement said.     

In December 2008, the WTO drafted reports on agriculture and non-agriculture market access (NAMA).     

Cairns group include the US, Canada, Brazil, Japan, EU, South Africa, Indonesia among other countries.