WTO Chief Lamy to visit India next week

Not the one to give up hope, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy is visiting India next week to find ways for picking up the threads from last month's failed trade talks in Geneva.      

"Lamy would be visiting next week. He is coming here for discussion with the government and industry," Commerce Secretary G K Pillai told reporters here.     

The WTO chief, who is likely to be in India around August 12 and 13, has expressed interest to talk with the industry.

"I presume his attention would be on industrial sector," he said.     

Talk of Lamy's visit to India comes days after the mini- Ministerial Meeting collapsed on the issue of safeguard for farmers from the developing countries against import surges. 

The stand-off in the Geneva meeting was mainly between the US on the one side and India and China on the other.    

India had later said that besides China, over 100 developing and least developed countries were backing the cause of poor farmers.

On his return from Geneva, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath too had expressed desire to resume negotiations for opening world trade, which he said should be fair to developing countries.     

Sources said Lamy will seek to "brainwash" sections of the Indian industry to accept the proposal of zero-for-zero or zero-for-close to zero opening of specific sectors, including automobiles, textiles and chemicals.

India is strongly opposed to completely throwing open these sectors arguing billions of dollars of investment have been made in these areas and breaking the tariff wall would destroy the infant industries.     

They said Lamy would also be visiting national capitals of other key countries to bring them on board for maintaining the momentum to conclude the trade talks.