Hectic parleys on to salvage WTO Bali talks

With India unrelenting on its tough stand, the WTO tonight launched hectic efforts to salvage the trade talks that are staring at a possible collapse on the food security issue.
WTO Director General Roberto Azevedo today called an urgent meeting of the trade ministers of the US, India and Indonesia to end the impasse.
Azevedo will be meeting Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, US Trade Representative (USTR) Michael Froman and Indonesian Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan as negotiators burnt midnight oil to clinch a deal on the fourth and last day of the Bali talks of the 12-year old Doha round tomorrow.

Sources said earlier in the day Azevedo held an one-and-half hour long meeting with Sharma to end the stand-off following the rigid stand taken by India that there can be no compromise on its food security programme to protect two-thirds of its population by giving subsidised grains.
Sharma made it plain at a press conference that India was prepared for a deadlock.
"It is better to have no agreement than to have a bad agreement... We have not come here to collapse any meeting. India is committed to a positive outcome in Bali. India is committed to a balanced and fair outcome, particularly in public stockholding and food security," he said.

Developed countries such as the US and the EU are asking India to accept a peace clause, which offers four years of immunity against penalties imposed for breaching the farm subsidy cap of 10 per cent under the WTO Agreement on Agriculture (AoA). Hosts Indonesia share their view.
India and other developing nations, on the other hand, want the peace clause until a permanent solution is found on the matter for smooth implementation of the food security programme.