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Sunday, July 27, 2008
PM fights off WTO push from Bush and Brown
Just when the Doha round of WTO talks teeters on the brink of collapse, India has fended off what may appear to be suggestions from the US and UK for relaxing its negotiating stance on the contentious issues of farm subsidies and tariff reductions.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conveyed India’s resolve not to make concessions to the developed countries, to President George Bush of the US as well as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the past two days.
Details of what transpired between Singh and President Bush and Prime Minister Brown, specifically whether the two tried to nudge him to soften the stance that India has taken at the on-going mini-ministerial meeting at Geneva, were not known. Sources, however, said that the two leaders had urged the Prime Minister to help “ensure conclusion of the Doha round” of global free-trade talks.
The conversations coincided with what the observers have called make-or-break round to end the stalemate over reductions in subsidies and import tariffs.
For his part, the Prime Minister is learnt to have repeated India’s stand that for the talks to succeed, the developed countries must reduce their agricultural subsidies and tariffs.
Singh said that India is committed to the success of the multi-lateral trade system as free trade benefits all. But he made it plain that India’s priority was to protect the livelihood of millions of its small farmers, implying that there was vast room for flexibility on the part of the developed countries.
“In the developed countries it is only a miniscule section of their population — 2% to 3% — that is dependent on agriculture. As against this, more than 60% of India’s population is dependent on agriculture, and our priority is to ensure livelihood, security for our small farmers,” Singh is learnt to have told President Bush and Prime Minister Brown.
The Prime Minister said that while India had been committed to trade liberalisation over the past 18 years and had been bringing down tariffs and opening up its economy, the country alone had the prerogative to determine both the pace and quantum of scale of reductions. Singh also argued that while its opening up has benefited the Indian economy allowing it to grow at a faster rate, “India will continue to pursue trade liberalisation at its own pace and in consonance with its development priorities”.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh conveyed India’s resolve not to make concessions to the developed countries, to President George Bush of the US as well as British Prime Minister Gordon Brown in the past two days.
Details of what transpired between Singh and President Bush and Prime Minister Brown, specifically whether the two tried to nudge him to soften the stance that India has taken at the on-going mini-ministerial meeting at Geneva, were not known. Sources, however, said that the two leaders had urged the Prime Minister to help “ensure conclusion of the Doha round” of global free-trade talks.
The conversations coincided with what the observers have called make-or-break round to end the stalemate over reductions in subsidies and import tariffs.
For his part, the Prime Minister is learnt to have repeated India’s stand that for the talks to succeed, the developed countries must reduce their agricultural subsidies and tariffs.
Singh said that India is committed to the success of the multi-lateral trade system as free trade benefits all. But he made it plain that India’s priority was to protect the livelihood of millions of its small farmers, implying that there was vast room for flexibility on the part of the developed countries.
“In the developed countries it is only a miniscule section of their population — 2% to 3% — that is dependent on agriculture. As against this, more than 60% of India’s population is dependent on agriculture, and our priority is to ensure livelihood, security for our small farmers,” Singh is learnt to have told President Bush and Prime Minister Brown.
The Prime Minister said that while India had been committed to trade liberalisation over the past 18 years and had been bringing down tariffs and opening up its economy, the country alone had the prerogative to determine both the pace and quantum of scale of reductions. Singh also argued that while its opening up has benefited the Indian economy allowing it to grow at a faster rate, “India will continue to pursue trade liberalisation at its own pace and in consonance with its development priorities”.
Labels: Indian Politics
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