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New Delhi, Feb 23 (UNI) The current impasse in the Doha Round of multilateral talks under the aegis of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) offers an opportunity for making the processes of agenda-setting and decision-making ''inclusive and democratic'' through South-South cooperation (SSC), says a report.

This is the suggestion of the World Trade and Development Report 2007, prepared by the Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), a New Delhi-based think-tank, which was released by Union Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath here this evening.

While pitching for South-South cooperation (SSC) in trade, the 130-page report offers a comprehensive analysis of the state of play in WTO and workable suggestions for reactivating the stalled dialogue to bring development focus onto the centre-stage of the agenda.

The report, prepared by a team led by Dr Nagesh Kumar, Director-General of RIS, notes that in the Doha Round, developing countries have reinforced their participation through issue-based coalitions such as the G-20 and G-33 as well as the G-90.

''The success of these coalitions was evident in their ability to get three (investment, competition policy and government procurement) of the four Singapore issues dropped off the negotiating agenda,'' it says, and adds that more pro-active South-South cooperation would be crucial in making the world trading system more responsive to the needs of the developing world.

It says while a rule-based multilateral trading system is important for the developing world, the existing structure and process of rule-making suffers from asymmetries that need to be addressed.

''Hence a more democratic system of decision-making based on secret voting and decision based on the majority would serve the organisation better and make it more participatory. All negotiating texts and drafts should be introduced in open-ended meetings and no decisions should be imposed on members without wide consultations and discussions,'' it adds.

The RIS report also proposes strengthening the Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) for developing countries so as to make it ''precise, operational and effective'' and thereby retrieve the development policy space to them that has been ''squeezed by different WTO agreements and proposals''.

SDT is required to neutralise the adverse fallout on development of distortions in global markets caused by the protectionist policies of rich. SDT, it said, would need to be part of ''a broader approach that recognises the fundamental interest of developing countries in the trading system to seek fair trade, capacity-building, balanced rules and good governance in WTO''.

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