WTO talks collapse in Geneva; Kamal Nath returning home

Geneva, July 1 (UNI) Trade talks at the WTO Mini Ministerial meeting collapsed today, with India pulling out of the negotiations, and Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath going back home disappointed at the rigid stand of the developed countries in both the agriculture and industry pillars of the beleaguered Doha Round.

''There is no room for further negotiations. I cannot negotiate livelihood security, I can negotiate commerce,'' Mr Kamal Nath said here.

He said concerns of 650 million Indian farmers cannot be overlooked and he was not at Geneva to salvage the economies of the rich countries. ''I cannot be at a meeting that does not recognise the Indian farmers' interest,'' he said.

About 60 trade ministers agreed to a more pronounced role for WTO Director General Pascal Lamy in future. Despite a wide division on agriculture and industrial tariff, the ministers said there was no intention of giving up the talks at the informal and formal levels.

''We have clearly reached something of an impasse here. But does that mean the round is dead? No. We have no intention of giving up hope,'' US Trade Representative Susan Schwab told a news conference.

Mr Kamal Nath said, ''there is no need to pretend that this has not been a failure''.

Ministers were unable to agree as to how far, rich nations should go in reducing farm subsidies and tariffs and developing countries in opening their manufacturing markets.

Sources said that the heads of government of the G6 -- Australia, Brazil, India, Japan, the European Union and the United States -- could meet at the G8 summit set for later this month in St Petersburg in a bid to salvage the trade talks.

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