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WTO meet: Food security solution deadlocked in Nairobi |
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NEW DELHI: With just a week for the World Trade Organisation's (WTO) ministerial meeting to commence in Nairobi, talks remain deadlocked with no end in sight for India's demand to find a permanent solution to its food security problem.
While the G-33, a developing country grouping including India, is insisting that a permanent solution to Delhi's concern be found in the Kenyan capital, there is stiff resistance from the developed countries, which grudgingly accepted a permanent peace clause that will prevent any WTO member from raising a dispute even in case of a breach of the cap on procuring food products.
Sources said the developed countries are seeking some sort of caps or even suggesting safeguards to ensure that the goods procured do not find their way into export markets. Besides, they have indicated that there is no rush to finalise the deal given that the deadline is still two years away. But, having agreed to an agreement on trade facilitation, India is keen to settle the issue at the earliest to ensure that it does not have to "pay up" twice for settling the same issue.
In his report to the general council in the run-up to the ministerial meeting that starts next Tuesday, WTO director general Roberto Azevedo has indicated that countries are far from arriving at a consensus.
"They (G33) have noted that the recent G33 proposal seeks to address the systemic concerns of members. Others consider that the proposal still does not adequately address a variety of concerns, both systemic and trade-related. The latest consultations, based on the proposed texts, have not so far taken us much closer to convergence..."
But, this is not the only issue on where the 162 members are at odds. In fact, negotiators said the developed countries are not focusing much on food security . Instead, the two big themes are putting an end o the Doha Round and getting new issues on the table, something that India has opposed. And, if that was not the only pressure point, a bigger worry is the demand from some of the developed countries led by the US to graduate India and China into the league of "emerging economies", which will mean that they have to undertake more obligations than developing countries, which is their current classification.
Similarly , on the issue of special safeguard mechanism SSM), again an issue being pushed by the G33, talks remain deadlocked and the possibility of an agreement currently looks remote. "If you look at he position of each side, by no means they are illogical or irrational. It's now a question of how much political will each one has on moving ahead," said a source.
Source : economictimes.indiatimes.com
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