India has cautioned the WTO members of backlash in developing countries if economic reforms were perceived to be as dictates from outside.Articulating India’s point of view at the ongoing three-day informal meeting of the trade minister of WTO at Montreal, Communications, IT and Disinvestment Minister Arun Shourie said that “if the pace of economic reforms was such as to cause dislocation or to be percieved as an imposition from outside, then there could be a backlash which could set back the whole process of multilateral trade negotiations.” ‘India has adopted pro-active role in WTO’ NEW DELHI: India has now started to take a pro-active role in the negotiations of the WTO. This was the main theme which emerged in a seminar on WTO and NDA Government’s Policy which was sponsored by the ministry of external affairs and organised by an NGO called Spandan. Speaking in the seminar various speakers highlighted that while in the earlier ministerial meetings India merely submitted to the negotiating strategy of the developed world, a paradigm shift has been noticed in the last round in Doha when the country changed its defensive stand. A more pro-active role of India is also expected in Cancun, the speakers said. (ENS) “Stick to the (Doha) text and be cautious in moving forward,” Shourie told the mini-ministerial meet attended by 24 member countries. He also stressed the importance of agriculture as India’s key concern in the WTO negotiations, particularly food and livelihood security as large number of people dependent on agriculture in the country. Referring to the proposed special products, which were of interest to developing countries, he said the selection of such products must be made on the basis of self-declaration given that it was not possible to have multilaterally agreed criteria applicable across the board to all countries.“The special products would need to be combined with special safeguard measures with suitable trigger mechanism in terms of both import volume and price in order to protect the interest of farmers” Shourie said.In a veiled attack on the recently announced common agricultural policy of European Union, Shourie said, “there should be real reduction in trade distorting agricultural subsidies without the camouflage of shifting of boxes.” On Singapore issues such as investment, Shourie made it clear that there should be explicit consensus on the modalities, in accordance with the Doha mandate before any negotiations. “Singapore issues should not in any manner be made the focus of the meet at Cancun,” Shourie added.
