India should come forward with bold proposals: WTO chief

Cautioning that spirit of multi-lateralism could be in jeopardy if member countries fail to conclude negotiations on Doha development agenda, the wto director general Supachai Panitchpakdi urged India to come forward with ‘bold proposals’ on issues of market access.

“If the current round (of negotiations) fail, we all will lose, not only in terms of more market access but also in terms of multilateral process,” he said, while addressing the CII Partnership Summit 2003 here.

Panitchpakdi said the forthcoming Mexico round of trade talks could be a ‘watershed’, but expressed concern over ‘uneven progress’ in negotiations on the Doha work programme covering agriculture, services, market access for non-agricultural goods, WTO rules and regional trade agreements.