PM calls for joint Indo-Asean front in Cancun

Setting the tone for the forthcoming WTO negotiations at Cancun, Prime Minister Vajpayee turned to Asean countries to put up a joint front t...

Setting the tone for the forthcoming WTO negotiations at Cancun, Prime Minister Vajpayee turned to Asean countries to put up a joint front to resist pressures from developed countries leading to imbalances in the development agenda of trade negotiations.

Addressing the inaugural session at a two-day India—Asean Business Summit here on Thursday. ‘‘All of us are painfully aware that the development dimension of the Doha round is not receiving sufficient attention,’’ he said, adding India, Asean and other developing countries fight the asymmetries and imbalances in the multilateral agreements.

‘‘We try to highlight the asymmetries and imbalances in the multilateral trade agreements, but keep getting sidetracked into non-trade related issues. We are finding the Doha agenda negotiations are a two-track process, with our concerns always on the slower track,’’ he said.

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Vajpayee called on Asean to join hands with India and other developing countries to arrest this trend adding, ‘‘we have to insist that the multilateral trading regime takes into account the genuine concerns of the not-so-rich countries for the welfare and livelihood of billions of their citizens.’’

Citing agriculture as one such issue, which affected not just economics but also the society and politics of developing countries, Vajpayee said India and Asean had a vital stake in achieving outcomes at WTO in conformity with the interests of millions of people depending on farm sector for livelihood.

‘‘India and some Asean countries together with a number of other countries have taken some important initiatives which should gain further momentum as we approach Cancun,’’ he said.

On the contentious new issues called Singapore issues, Vajpayee said India and Asean have common concerns as also on the issue of market access of non-agriculture products. Singapore issues comprise trade and investment, competition policy, transparency in government procurement and trade facilitation, and India and several developing countries are opposing their inclusion in the work programme of WTO before the already existing agenda being negotiated at WTO are resolved.

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Patting India and other developing countries’ backs Vajpayee said : ‘‘We have recently put behind us the contentious issues of TRIPS and public health. We hope the same spirit permeated through other negotiations on the Doha agenda,’’ he said.

Vajpayee said the issue of transfer of technology to developing countries from the developed countries required attention. In a bid to treble India-Asean trade to $30 billion, Vajpayee proposed establishment of highway and rail links to connect Asean countries with India.

‘‘India-Asean trade now exceeds $10 billion, but it has barely scratched the surface of its potential. We must aim high and target a turnover of $15 billion over next two years and $30 billion by 2007,’’ Vajpayee said inviting investments in India’s telecom, power, airports and ports sector. On road and rail links, Vajpayee said the trilateral highway project linking Thailand, Myanmar and India has started and ‘‘we are also looking at new Delhi to Hanoi rail link.’’