145;Industrial demands made by developing countries ignored146;

NAMA 11 - an important group of developing countries including India on industrial goods...

NAMA 11 8211; an important group of developing countries including India on industrial goods 8212; has said their demand for a level-playing field in manufacturing sector trade was being ignored at the WTO even at this crucial stage of the global trade deal discussions.

Significantly, this has yet again highlighted the persisting differences between the developed and the developing world on industrial goods at the World Trade Organisation8217;s WTO Doha Round talks during the mini-ministerial meeting that commenced here on Monday.

India has already said that on industrial goods there was no question of compromising regarding the protection of its infant industries. New Delhi has also made it clear that it would be unwilling to negotiate on market opening clauses like anti-concentration and sectorals. Developed countries, in return for reducing their 8216;trade-distorting8217; farm subsidies running to billions of dollars, have been pushing for more market access for their industrial goods in the developing country markets. For this, these rich countries want the developing world to bring down their industrial tariffs significantly.

But developing countries have pointed to the third revision of the negotiation text on NAMA Non8211;Agricultural Market Access or industrial goods released by the Chairman of the NAMA negotiations Ambassador Don Stephenson recently and said the Swiss formula for duty cuts in the text was favouring the developed countries.

Ministers of the NAMA 11 grouping also includes leading developing countries like Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Egypt and Indonesia, after a meeting on Sunday regretted that no attention was being given to their demands as this was reflected in new revised NAMA text.

NAMA-11 has called for a balanced and a development oriented outcome of the Doha Round talks on industrial goods. The alliance also said that agriculture and substantial reduction of 8216;trade distorting8217; farm subsidies of the US and European Union the should remain at the heart of the Doha Round talks.