Maran for WTO meet in Singapore

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, OCT. 11. The Commerce and Industry Minister, Mr. Murasoli Maran, leaves tonight for Singapore to attend a two-day informal Ministerial meeting on issues relating to the World Trade Organisation (WTO) even as the fate of the scheduled Ministerial conference in Doha in November hangs in the balance. With the conflict in Afghanistan intensifying, it is not yet known whether the Doha conference will be held as planned.

The Singapore meeting is being attended by 21 countries and is expected to follow up on the earlier Ministerial meeting held in Mexico last month. The effort is to forge a consensus on holding a fresh round of trade negotiations as well as consider the need to address implementation issues as demanded by the developing countries.

The Mexico meeting was not able to reach a consensus as the North and South had divergent views on the need for a new round of trade negotiations despite hectic lobbying by the U.S. and the European Union. The coming conference being held on October 13 and 14 will also discuss the draft declarations on the Doha Ministerial meet and the issues of competition, investment, trade facilitation and transparency in Government procurement.

The Indian delegation to the meeting includes the Commerce Secretary, Mr. Prabir Sengupta and the Indian Ambassador to the WTO in Geneva, Mr. S. Narayanan. Among the countries attending the meeting will be the U.S. and Pakistan as well as Australia, Brazil, Canada, Columbia, Egypt, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Jamaica, Qatar, South Africa, Switzerland, Tanzania and Gabon.

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Section  : National
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