WTO General Council may reconvene tomorrow, India firm on food security

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) General Council meeting will reconvene next week although India was firm on not signing the Trade Facilitation Agreement by the July 31 deadline unless its concerns on food security were on the negotiating table.

Firefighting was on at the WTO headquarters in Geneva till late Friday night to coax India into changing its stance. "India stuck to its ground. The meeting got suspended and was not formally closed," an official involved in the talks who did not wish to be named told Business Standard.

WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo spoke separately on Friday with the Indian delegation, led by Ambassador Anjali Prasad.

The General Council, the highest body of the WTO, might reconvene on Monday after it could not conclude talks on the Bali package, including the Trade Facilitation Agreement and the Doha Development Agenda. Frantic consultations between key member countries took place even on Saturday, a holiday for the WTO secretariat.

"It seems unlikely that India will move from its position. But compromises can always take place. All that India is insisting is there should be guarantees regarding public food stockholding, or else postpone the July 31 deadline," said an official from another developing country who refused to be identified.

The General Council is slated to meet next in October 2014. The WTO goes in for a summer break in August and September although the secretariat keeps functioning. But members feels this time there might be an exception because the developed world wants to seal the deal on Trade Facilitation.

Developed countries do not want the Trade Facilitation Agreement deadline to be postponed at any cost but are not spelling out why the food security issue cannot be discussed now.

India on Friday came out with a four-point plan that invited criticism from several countries that pointed out action plans were seldom stated in the General Council as they are generally presented on ministerial meetings. But as per rules, on rare occasions the General Council can take decisions on behalf of a ministerial as the body is equally empowered. There were apprehensions that India's plan might be accepted, although key developed nations are opposed to it.

Under the proposed action plan, India mainly suggested an creation of an institutional mechanism for a permanent solution on public stockholding for food security by December 2014 instead of 2017, similar treatment to a proposed package for least developed countries and expediting negotiations for the General Council to review in October 2014.