India wants WTO talks in Geneva

After disengaging itself from the Group of Four, India has informed the World Trade Organization that it wants the Doha talks, which is aimed at achieving global trade agreement, to continue at the WTO headquarters in Geneva.

"WTO Director General Pascal Lamy has spoken to Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath who has shown India's desire to speed up discussions at official levels in Geneva," official sources said here.

In fact, sources said all the trade ministers of the G4 -- India, Brazil, European Union and the US -- have separately spoken to Lamy and wanted the negotiations to continue, notwithstanding the failure of talks among themselves last week at Potsdam in Germany.

The failure of the Potsdam negotiations meant "end of the road for G-4," as Nath said on his return from the talks. The talks collapsed in the backdrop of wide differences among the US and EU on one side and India and Brazil on the other.

While India and Brazil had made demands for sharp cuts in the trade distorting farm subsidies in the rich nations, the EU and the US wanted the 'advanced developing

countries' to open their market for the agri products.

He had cautioned the US and the EU against attempts to divide the unity of the developing countries which have come together for protecting their trade interests under various groupings such as G-20, G-33 and G-90.

US Trade Representative Susan Schwab had put the blame on India and Brazil for shifting the 'goal posts' and wanted these "advanced developing countries" to be ready to give extended market to the less developing nations.

"Since when Susan Schwab has become champion of the developing countries,?" Nath asked.

Trade analysts feel that what could not be achieved among just four countries may be difficult to get among the 150 members of the WTO.

However, Lamy remains hopeful. "This negotiation is not a negotiation among just four players, it is a collective endeavour among all the participants in the round 150 members and 29 acceding observers. It is also a single undertaking covering a broad agenda with development at its heart. I think it is timely to reassert these basic principles," he said in Geneva on Friday.