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India threatens to walk out of WTO

TIMES NEWS NETWORK
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2001

NEW DELHI: Stung by the draft ministerial declaration (DMD) for the November 9-13 Doha meeting of the World Trade Organisation which mandates the launch of negotiations in new areas, commerce minister Murasoli Maran lashed out at the WTO and its secretariat and even threatened India's withdrawal from the world body.

The DMD's provisions were reported in The Times of India Wednesday. Maran's comments seem timed to coincide with the 'senior official level consultations' underway at WTO headquarters in Geneva. The Indian team would obviously have delivered a similar message there. Voicing strong opposition to the attempt of the developed countries to bypass developing countries in imposing issues like investment, competition, government procurement and environment on the WTO's future negotiation agenda, Maran said, "If we have no say in setting the agenda, why should we be there?"

He was speaking at a book release function here Wednesday.

Maran, who will lead the Indian delegation to the Doha conference of trade ministers from over 140 countries, made it clear India did not mind being isolated in its opposition to the new WTO agenda. He saw the possibility of the developed countries arm- twisting the developing ones at Doha, as had happened at Punta del Este and Singapore. He also saw "some of the developing countries deserting us". He, however, made it clear that India would stand firm in opposing negotiations on new issues even if it is isolated.

"I do not think one billion people (India) can be isolated", he said and recalled the CTBT negotiations to point out that India will not budge. "We want implementation issues arising out of the inequities of the present WTO agreements to be addressed. We do not want negotiations to start on new issues", he said.

The minister denied that India is not being "constructive". He said: "We are constructive. But first we should prevent the evilness of WTO". Maran reiterated that he saw WTO as a "necessary evil". Necessary because it provides for most-favoured nation treatment and rule-based multilateral trade regime. But it is an evil because "it wants to curb our sovereignty and cut our jobs." He said the DMD showed that the WTO is becoming a "power- based" organisation instead of being a "rule-based" body. He said the neutrality of the WTO secretariat is also now doubtful. "We do not know who is making these drafts (DMD). How many drafts will come. The developing countries have no role in setting the agenda", he added.