Resumption of Doha talks to be decided next week: WTO chief

Bangalore, Jan 17 (UNI) A decision on the timeframe for resumption of Doha round of trade negotiations of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) will be taken after the ministerial meeting slated for next week in Geneva, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said today.

Speaking to mediapersons at the CII Partnership Summit, which began here today, he said ''the Ministers will hold an informal meeting in Geneva next week. Though this meeting will be a sort of stock taking exercise, it will be bit more than what has appeared in the media as the Ministers will resume negotiations and would decide on the 'numbers'.'' After the failed talks at the Doha round, at some stage or other the Ministers would have to go back to the table and begin negotiations which would be bilateral and discreet in nature.

Refusing to agree that the WTO negotiations had reached a dead end, Mr Lamy said the trade negotiations was on the right track and had got unambigious support from major countries like the US and the EU. ''Credibility is very much there. We need to engage ourselves politically on a continuous basis so that a political decision, which is vital in such negotiations, is arrived at the end,'' he added.

Hoping that countries like India and Brazil would come to an understanding with the US and the EU over the contentious food subsidy, the WTO chief said the talks had resumed at the technical level and he was sure that it would begin at the political level soon.

Mr Lamy said India was now a major player in the world trade and its concerns would get due attention. ''We are now more focussed. We will certainly study what India wants. Acceleration of final phase of talks is very necessary (for WTO).'' ''There is a positive signal from the dissenting countries.

Everybody have their own defensive interests. But competitiveness at the global level is on the rise and most of the countries want to open up. This is happening inspite of some specific sensitivities.

Indian farmers may not stand the competition, with advanced countries continuing with food subsidy. We have to find a right balance. Now we want to work out this sort of balance,'' he said.

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