WTO Chief calls for intensive discussion to break deadlock

New Delhi, July 26 (UNI) World Trade Organisation Chief Pascal Lamy today urged members to study the draft texts on agriculture and industrial goods during the summer break and come back in September '' ready to engage in intensive negotiations.'' In opening the Trade Negotiations Committee meeting at Geneva, he said '' We have already come a long way in this ( Doha ) round, and the distance left to go is not so great , but it will require extra efforts.'' The extra efforts, Director-General of the world trade body, said '' means being open to compromises, while still respecting the mandate and aims of the round...... it means negotiating with each other instead of trying to negotiate with the Chairs.'' After the collapse of G-4 talks among four key members of the WTO-- United States, Europen Union, Brazil and India -- the world trade body had set up Chairs on agriculture and non-agricultural market access (NAMA).

Reiterating that the Geneva process is and must remain the core of the negotiation, Mr Lamy said circulation of draft modalities texts last week by Ambassadors Falconer and Stephenson, the Chairs of the agriculture and NAMA groups, was a major development.

He said since the draft texts are neither negotiated or agreed texts their virtue, however, lies in that they allow all participants to negotiate at a more concrete, intense and specific level.

Endorsing the Chairs, he said draft texts prepared by them have identified possible areas of convergence and areas where gaps still need to be bridged and therefore, it were for members to revise and prepare acceptable drafts.

After going through the draft texts, members will return to Geneva to start intense negotiations from September 3.'' I would urge all of you to fully use the month of August to examine the texts in detail, to consult, discuss and engage bilaterally among you,'' he added.

Mr Lamy reminded members that when negotiations resume in September, the focus can not be exclusively on agriculture and NAMA but they will have to achieve progress in other areas of the negotiations, in line with the full Doha mandates, the July 2004 decision and the Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration.

'' This is the only possible path to an ambitious, balanced and development-oriented outcome to the round.'' he added.

UNI