Geneva: India on Wednesday asked for speedy resolution of major differences among the emerging and developed nations to meet the 2010 deadline to conclude the Doha Round talks and further opening up of global trade.
"If the Doha Round has to be completed by 2010, efforts have to be made to tackle and resolve the major issues in the negotiations" Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma said today while addressing a working session at the seventh WTO Ministerial meeting underway here.
Sharma also regretted that progress made by the 153 member-states for conclusion of the Doha Round by 2010 in the last three months had been "far below expectations".
Regretting that issues relating to farm subsidies was "barely discussed" during the meetings, the minister said for the developing countries, "agriculture is not about commerce, but about survival and livelihoods". He also stressed that effective safeguard mechanisms are critical for protecting the interest of farmers in the developing countries.
On the special safeguard mechanism, which was the subject of considerable debate during the July 2008 mini-Ministerial, he said, "there had been some exchanges but clearly the issue was far from convergence".
Sharma also met US Trade Representative Ron Kirk and trade ministers of Japan, China and Australia here.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, December 03, 2009, 00:18