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FICCI disappointed with the revised WTO ministerial draft declaration

The Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry has expressed concern and disappointment over the revised draft declaration for the Doha ministerial conference of the World Trade Organisation describing it as a testimony to developed countries' aggressive attempts to unilaterally impose a new trade round on the developing world.

''The revised draft fails to address and reflect the concerns, needs and priorities of the Indian trade and industry'', FICCI said.

The draft declaration proposes a broad-based negotiating agenda that included several new issues like investment, competition policy, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation, which would imply a burden of new obligations for developing countries.

''The revised draft ministerial declaration gives no option but to agree for eventual launching of negotiations on new areas'', the chamber said.

While the first draft offered two alternatives in the case of investment and competition policy, the revised DMD has done away with such options and suggested that a decision will be taken on modalities of negotiations at the fifth session of WTO ministerial conference.

''This position is totally unacceptable as we are not in a position to enter into negotiations in these subjects,'' it said.

The chamber has further pointed out that work programme for these two areas until the fifth ministerial should be drawn up on the basis of the Singapore mandate, and not on the basis of proposals received from various members.

UNI

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