'Developed countries to blame for WTO deadlock'

India has said that developed countries were trying to go back on their commitment on the development content of Doha round of WTO talks and are putting new conditions on developing countries leading to a deadlock in negotiations.

"The current freeze we are witnessing is because the debate is being deflected from an unconditional delivery of the development dimension to conditionalities that expose what seem to be the real intention of some," Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath in his address at Oxford University's Said Business School.

"We have engaged in this Round in the belief that it is a Development Round. And we aim to continue to

proceed on that premise," said Nath, who is championing the cause of the developing countries at the WTO talks.

High subsidy given by developed countries and industrial tariffs has been the most contentious issue at WTO talks since the Doha Development Round was launched in the Qatari capital in 2001. Representatives of four key WTO players -- India, the US, Brazil and the European Union -- held a meeting in New Delhi in mid-April but failed to reach an agreement.

The representatives are expected to meet again on May 17-18 in Paris.

India and the WTO: News and Issues