The Hindu : India to work with Australia to implement Doha agenda

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 20, 2003

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National

India to work with Australia to implement Doha agenda

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI Feb. 19. India and Australia have agreed to work together in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for implementation of the Doha Development Agenda. They also expressed concern at the high level of agricultural support and protection by many developed countries, which distorted world agricultural markets.

This focus on bilateral economic cooperation was part of the agreed minutes signed here by the Australian Trade Minister, Mark Vaile, and the Commerce and Industry Minister, Arun Jaitley, at the conclusion of the eighth India-Australia Joint Ministerial Commission. The two sides agreed to consider an agreement for cooperation in the telecom sector, develop an action plan to boost tourism and revise agreements to step up educational exchanges.

On the WTO negotiations, they reiterated their commitment to retaining special and differential treatment for developing countries while expressing concern at the lack of consensus on TRIPs and public health.

On bilateral issues relating to specific products, they agreed to examine expanding the scope of the present memorandum of understanding for fish and fisheries products between the Export Inspection Council (EIC) and the Australian Quarantine and Inspection Service to cover items such as rice, honey, tea, cashew, milk products, basmati rice, spices, egg products, poultry and meat products. The possibility of entering into similar MOUs with the Department of Animal Husbandry for animal quarantine and certification services would be examined.

Mr. Vaile, who also met the Agriculture Minister, Ajit Singh, said that his country would send a technical team to examine harvesting and pest treatment of mangoes. Another high-level official team would arrive here in April to address concerns of quarantine and certification.

He told presspersons that his country was keen on stepping-up cooperation in the energy sector, including bio-diesel, liquefied natural gas (LNG) and coal. On his meeting on Tuesday with the Petroleum Minister, Ram Naik, he said both countries had a shared interest in promoting ethanol-blended fuels as an environment-friendly alternative. There were opportunities for cooperation in coal technology, in which Australia had expertise.

The Joint Working Group on Energy and minerals identified several areas of cooperation such as participation in bids for petroleum exploration, assistance in exploration of hydro potential in the Himalayas, regulatory reforms in the energy sector, supply of LNG on a reliable and cost competitive basis, supply of coal to power stations, coal mining and clean coal technologies.

The working group on fibres and textiles also presented its report, identifying areas with potential for enhanced cooperation.

While no targets had been set to step up the bilateral trade from the present level of $ 1.7 billions in 2001-02, both sides agreed that the private sector would have to take the initiative to undertake investments in the potential sectors to boost trade.

At a meeting organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Mr. Vaile spoke about Australia's role in the Doha Development Agenda, where it sought substantial improvements in market access — in agriculture, services and industrial products — as quickly and as productively as possible. While the developed countries were pressing the developing ones to agree to negotiations on new issues, such as investment, trade and environment, the latter needed to show flexibility to evoke a similar response on market access by the former.

Mr. Vaile maintained that real market access gains, especially to global agricultural markets, was the single greatest contribution the Doha round could make to alleviate poverty in the developing world.

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