In a significant move to make the World Trade Organisations trade negotiations to meet the July-end deadline for a Framework Agreement, Trade Ministers of Non-Group 5 including India are meeting in Paris from July10-11.
Commerce Minister Kamal Nath is likley to represent India at the meeting to be attended by US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick, EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy, Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim and Australian Trade Minister Mark Vaile.
The meeting assumes significance as WTO Director General Supachai Panitchpakdi has indicated that the draft of the proposed Framework is to be circulated in the next two weeks after developed and developing countries showed willingness to move forward on talks on agriculture.
Non-Group-5 comprises India, the US, European Union, Brazil and Australia.
Coming ahead of the General Council Meeting on July 29, the meeting will be a test point to see if the members are able to meet the self-imposed deadline of July-end to sign a Framework on Doha negotiations.
Senior officials of NG-5 will also hold discussions from July 6-7 in Geneva ahead of the WTO Ministerial as the draft text for the Framework is worked out at WTO, which will be attended by Special Secretary Commerce S N Menon.
Technical teams from member countries have already held series of meetings at Geneva following the thaw in trade talks after the meeting between G-20 and NG-5 at Sao Paulo on the sidelines of UNCTAD XI meet.
WTO DG had on Thursday indicated that there may still be gaps or brackets in the text or its annexes, which will be framed taking into account the discussions at Trade Negotiations Committee and continuing work on specific issues.
Supachai, who had recently met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Finance Minister P Chidambaram and Commerce Minister Kamal Nath, said, "From this intense ministerial activity, I gathered that we have a strong political commitment. We still face the problem that is not being translated into progress here in the negotiations".
India had earlier said the G-20 paper on Agriculture brought out after the Sao Paulo meeting could be the starting point for arriving at a Framework and made it clear that forward movement would depend on developed countries' taking on board the interests of developing nations.
