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The Hindu 20 June 2009
Sujay Mehdudia
U.S., others urged to ensure that a fair trade accord is reached
NEW DELHI: Seeking to pave the way for early resumption of the stalled Doha Round of talks, India on Friday asked the United States and other countries to take a flexible stand to ensure that a fair and acceptable trade accord could be reached.
Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma, who held talks with U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk, said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was of the view that the current round of talks should conclude successfully. “That is the mandate I have from the Prime Minister, who feels that the present economic crisis — which the world is facing — should be a positive message for global trade barriers to be broken down further and global trade to move, which will help economies across the globe,” he said after the meetings.
Mr. Sharma warned against protectionist measures resorted to by developed countries, saying they would further deepen recession and delay a recovery in the world economy. The Doha Round was stalled in July 2008 amid differences between the U.S. and India, representing the developing world. India wanted special safeguards for developing countries to protect their agricultural sectors.
Mr. Sharma said he hoped that World Trade Organisation countries would find a common ground on issues of divergence. “We must try and harmonise the positions which are important. And that could only be done by give-and-take to find the middle route. When political leaders discuss issues, they paint the larger canvass and are not bogged down by smaller details. If you have the larger picture in mind and you are committed to take it forward, the details can always be filled,” Mr. Sharma said.
He said the current economic crisis had affected countries across continents — some more adversely, some less adversely. Without quantifying details, India might be one of the countries less adversely affected because of the sound fundamentals of its economy, Mr. Sharma added.
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