Doha talks can move away from convergence: India

India has said the WTO negotiations for a global trade deal can move away from convergence if the developed countries do not commit to reduce trade distorting agricultural subsidies.

Reviewing the progress of official level talks at the WTO headquarters in Geneva, Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath said that while the negotiations on Doha were at a critical stage, "unless sagacity and statesmanship is on from the countries which have benefited chiefly from globalisation so far, negotiations can also move sharply away from convergence".

Nath, said key issues on agriculture like cuts in overall trade distorting domestic support, product specific limits in different categories, sensitive products and tariff rate quotas, special safeguard, tariff simplification, tariff capping, tariff escalation, tropical products and preference erosion are yet to be resolved.

"The trade distorting measures resorted to by the developed countries have an impact on global agricultural prices, affecting the livelihoods of millions of farmers in the developing world," he said.

Nath said WTO members need to have a sense of urgency to achieve convergence in the negotiations.

"The negotiations hold promise for conclusion by the end of this year. However, it is the content and not artificial timelines that are important," he said.

Toward this end, comparable progress has to be made not only in agriculture but in Non-Agricultural Market Access (NAMA), services and rules as well.

"Only then could there be a horizontal process involving the highest decision-making body of the WTO, viz a Ministerial meeting," he said.

While considerable progress has been made in negotiations on agriculture after the talks resumed in February 2007, the Doha Round has to deliver on a significant reduction in agriculture subsidies given by the developed countries.

"Firm commitments in this regard are yet to come from these countries. Therefore, while the progress made in the past one year has been appreciable, considerable work still remains to be done," he said.

A revised text on agriculture is likely to be out in the next few days and Nath hoped that it would reflect the actual progress made and convergence achieved.

Similarly, the revised text on NAMA, scheduled to come out soon, should also not bely hopes of the developing countries, including India.

In order for the Doha Round to reach a successful conclusion, it is imperative that views of the members are reflected in any document that is brought out.

It should help in taking the negotiations forward rather than acting as a divisive and precipitating factor among countries.

Nath said issues like trade facilitation, amendment to TRIPS and fisheries subsidies also needed to be resolved.

"In order to move the negotiating process forward, a revised text on fisheries subsidies that addresses livelihood concerns of millions of small fisher folk was essential," he said.