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'Pakistan not averse to new WTO round'

Pakistan on Friday indicated that it would not be averse to a new round at the WTO (World Trade Organisation) if it had a limited agenda even as it said that its final stand would emerge only after the meeting of 'like minded group' countries at Geneva on September 17.

"If a new round starts and it is on a narrower agenda than what is being demanded by some of the developed countries then we, being practical and pragmatic, will have no problem with that," Pakistan's Commerce Minister, Abdul Razzak Dawood, said at an interactive session organised by FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) in New Delhi.

Dawood, however, emphasised that Pakistan was firm in its stance that the implementation concerns of the developing countries should be addressed ahead of Doha and new issues such as labour and environment should be firmly resisted.

The minister also said that Pakistan's final position on the issue would be firmed up after the informal ministerial meet at Mexico followed by the meeting of the LMG countries in Geneva on September 17.

The minister who participated in the SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation) ministerial meeting to evolve a common front on WTO issues has said that there is commonality of views between India and Pakistan to address implementation issues arising out of the earlier Uruguay Round upfront.

India has been consistently saying that negotiations for a new round should begin only if there is a consensus among all the WTO members on the issue.

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