INDIA CALLS FOR MEANINGFUL PACKAGE
ON IMPLEMENTATION, S&D ISSUES AND RESOLUTION OF TRIPS &
PUBLIC HEALTH BEFORE CANCUN
India has called
for a meaningful package on Implementation and Special and Differential
(S&D) treatment issues as well as resolution of the TRIPS
and Public Health issue before Cancun as these constitute some
of the cardinal elements of the Doha Work Programme as far as
the developing countries are concerned.
Pointing to the considerable dissatisfaction at the delay in finding
solution to problems raised by developing countries, India's intervention
during the Session on Development Issues at the informal meeting
of the WTO trade ministers hosted by Egypt at Sharm El-Sheikh
on 22 June said: "We must not lose sight of the implementation
issues on which we had taken certain decisions at Doha. Some of
them, which have great commercial value for developing countries,
had been referred to WTO bodies for finalisation and implementation.
We would expect positive results on some of these issues before
Cancun. I refer in particular to the operationalisation of Article
15 of the Anti-Dumping Agreement on which recommendations were
due by November last year, cooperation between customs administrations
for the prevention of fraud, which was to be resolved by December
last year and our proposals relating to the Agreement on Subsidies
and Countervailing Measures, due for decision by 31 July 2002.
I would request the Chairman, General Council and the DG/WTO to
ensure that a process is also set in motion to ensure completion
of this and other unfinished work before Ministers meet again
at Cancun".
With regard to S&D issues, it noted that there appeared to
be some progress with the WTO General Council categorising under
three heads specific issues raised by developing and least developed
countries rather than broad cross-cutting issues and expressed
the hope that this new exercise would yield concrete results before
Cancun. The statement of the Commerce and Industry Minister Shri
Arun Jaitley was read out by Shri S.N. Menon, Additional Secretary,
as the Minister had to leave on 22 June to join the Prime Minister
in Beijing.
