& çâÌæÚUæð´ ·¤è ¥ôÚU Îð¹Ùæ ÁæÚUè ÚU¹ð´ ¥ÍæüÌ ¥ÂÙð ÜÿØ ÂÚU ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´Ð ãæÚU Ù ×æÙð´, €UØô´ç·¤ ·¤æ× ·¤ÚUÙð âð ¥æÂ·¤ô ©gðàØ ·¤è Âýæç# ãôÌè ãñ ¥õÚU ÁèßÙ ·¤æ ¹æÜèÂÙ ÎêÚU ãôÌæ ãñÐ ÖÜð ãè ÁèßÙ ×ð´ ç·¤ÌÙè Öè ·¤çÆÙæ§ü €UØô´ Ù ¥æ°, çÁ™ææâæ ¥õÚU ©ˆâæã ÕÙæ° ÚU¹ð´Ð ŠØæÙ ÚU¹ð´, ÜÿØ ã×ðàææ ¥æÂ·Ô¤ Âæâ ãôÌð ãñ´ çÁ‹ãð´ ÂæÙð ·Ô¤ çÜ° ÂýØæâ ¥æÂ ·¤Öè Öè àæéM¤ ·¤ÚU â·¤Ìð ãñ´Ð

Unresolved issues idenfied for upcoming WTO meet

Khosru speaks on outcome of Montreal meet

STAR BUSINESS REPORT
The just concluded mini-ministerial meet in Montreal has given a political direction about the major disputed areas in trade and these may be resolved at the next WTO conference at Cancun, Commerce Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury said yesterday.
On his return home from Canada after attending the three-day meeting of selected trade ministers from July 28 to 30, Khosru said the benefits of trade liberalisation should be equitably shared and for that developing countries need additional policy support.
The Montreal meet, which was aimed at achieving convergence on unresolved issues, felt that further consultations would be needed to
reach a consensus, he told reporters.
"On the basis of developments in Montreal and official level negotiations in Geneva from August 11, the Cancun meet would be able to decide on major issues. The final draft for Cancun will be prepared after the Geneva meet," Khosru added.
Ministers from 24 countries and the European Commission attended the Montreal meeting that focused on four areas -- agriculture, non-agriculture market access (industrial products), development and Singapore issues (investment, competition, trade facilitation and transparency in government procurement).
Khosru said agriculture is at the
heart of the current round negotiations. Many consider this sector to hold great potentials as far as trade in goods is concerned.
Rich nations, especially USA, EU and Japan, are widely divided on the issues of lowering farm subsidies and tariffs on farm produces--major roadblocks for LDCs to market agricultural products in developed countries.
With regard to non-agriculture market access (NAMA), participating ministers felt that this is a most important part of the current round negotiations, Khosru said adding the talks will resume in Geneva from August 11 after the summer recess.
According to commerce ministry officials, attempts were made in Montreal to resolve sensitive issues
in small groups to narrow the differences among them, hoping that a consensus may emerge in larger gatherings.
UNB adds: The commerce minister said, "We met there to reduce the gap among the member countries, specially the rich partners."
Since farm products are major export items from poor countries, LDCs fail to maximise benefits from duty-free market access offered by many rich countries, individually or grouping, Khosru said.
"We want them lower farm subsidies in all forms and reduce tariffs," said the minister, who has recently been made one of the three vicechairs for the Cancun meet to be held from September 10-14.