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WTO issues farm draft
paper to develop consensus
By Mubarak
Zeb Khan
 The
World Trade Organisation (WTO) on Monday issued a draft text
on agriculture to start a process to provoke comments from
member countries on where consensus might be achieved for
concluding the Doha Development Round by end of the current
calendar year.
An official in the commerce ministry told Dawn that
following the comments from members on the draft text, the
second part of the draft was expected to be issued a week
later. Members would be able to provide their reactions at
the next informal meeting scheduled for May 4 in Geneva.
These reactions would eventually be used to revise the draft
modalities that the chairman circulated in June 2006, he
added.
The draft paper titled ‘Chairperson’s texts 2007’ circulated
to member countries by Ambassador Crawford Falconer,
chairman of WTO agriculture committee, containing a first
set of his ideas on where members’ positions might converge.
The comments from member countries on where consensus might
be achieved, leading to a revision or series of revisions of
the 2006 draft ‘modalities’ paper, Mr Crawford stated in the
paper. The first draft of the modalities paper was
circulated on June 22, 2006.
The current paper is based on chairman’s judgement of where
agreement might be possible and where it might not. The
paper indicates possible “centres of gravity” (approximate
areas of possible agreement) in some areas. It also suggests
“splitting the difference” between outstanding positions in
other areas.
“The paper challenges developing countries to make massive
concessions whilst demanding very little of rich countries.
The reductions in farm subsidies are insufficient,” said
Aftab Alam Khan, Head of ActionAid’s Trade Campaign.
To suggest that poor WTO members can only protect 5-8 per
cent of farm products as ‘special’ against their demand of
20pc will not help millions of poor farmers, Mr Aftab added.
Deputy Executive Director of Sustainable Development Policy
Institute (SDPI) Dr Abid Suleri feels that the paper clearly
reflects the divide and rule policy of developed nations
have again succeeded.
The momentum gained by the G-33 members over SPs was badly
hit when one of their active members deviated from the group
under the influence of Cairns group and demanded for a
lesser protection against group demands.
“What Pakistan will get in return for this change in its
policy from the rest of the group,” Dr Abid questioned.
A paper by Pakistan on modalities for the selection and
treatment of SP by developing countries drew strong
opposition from majority of developing countries at an
informal meeting of the Special Session of the WTO Committee
on Agriculture last week.
Ahmad Mukhtar, Commercial Secretary Pakistan Mission to WTO,
said despite criticism one point was very clear, even
verified by the Chair, that this had initiated a healthy and
much needed debate on SPs which could lead to an amicable
solution of this issue.
However, he said Pakistan took this criticism positively and
were encouraged by the fact that due to our initiative a
healthy debate had started on SPs and this did not mean that
we would change our stance on SPs.
“Our stance is still in line with the G-33, the only
difference is that we are asking for fairness and
transparency in the selection/designation of SPs and trying
to minimise the potential misuse of SPs in order to restrict
the market access otherwise available,” he elaborated.
“Our selection method is in line with the G-33 ministerial
communiqué that asks for “operationalisation” of the
indicators finalised during the latest ministerial meeting,”
he added.
Courtesy: The DAWN
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Pakissan.com;
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