G-6 fails to break WTO deadlock

India and five other key WTO powers, which held a meeting here with an aim to break the deadlock in the global trade talks, have failed to achieve a breakthrough, but expressed commitment to meet challenges on the key issues of agriculture, services and non-agriculture market access.

Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath, who represented India at the two-day group of six (G-6) meeting which concluded last night, said during the discussions he told the developed countries clearly that "there is no question of compromising India's agriculture sector."

"India has 300 million poor people earning less than a dollar per day. This round is to lift the poor people and their standard of living. There is no formula yet on the card. There is only hope," he told newsmen.

India was opposed to the question of market access which upset subsistence farming, he noted.

The G-6 meeting was attended by the Us, Brazil, the European Union, Japan and Australia, besides India to discuss issues relating to the ongoing Doha round of multilateral trade negotiations of the World Trade Organisations (WTO).

European Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson, who chaired the talks, noted they had a "good meeting so far. Our job is to build consensus. We don't expect to make a breakthrough".

He claimed they had made progress in a number of areas but declined to elaborate.

"We remain committed to meet the challenges we set in Hong Kong on key issues of agriculture, services and non-agriculture market access," he said.

Brazilian Foreign Minister and Chairman of G-20, Celso Amrion said he did not see at the meeting the "click" to make an agreement possible.

US Trade Representative Robert Portman said, "We continue to be very focussed on the question of non-agriculture market access for developed countries in developing countries."