With less than two months to go for the next World Trade Organisation ministerial meet in Cancun, India has made it clear that it will not be able to enter into negotiations unless its concerns on the proposed multi-lateral agreement on investments were cleared.
"Most developing countries, including India, will not be in a position to enter negotiations without a clear picture of the structure and content of each issue," India's Ambassador to WTO K M Chandrasekhar was quoted as saying in London by an official release in New Delhi.
"We have placed our concerns and views clearly (at the Doha rounds)...We must say, however, that the situation continues to be unclear," he said at a seminar, organised by Actionaid, one of the UK's largest development agencies, which works in more than 30 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
There was no convergence of opinion on most issues discussed by the working group, including on basic issues as scope and definition, Chandrasekhar said.
There were no serious attempts to engage in debate and address concerns, he said, adding India's apprehensions on the proposed multi-lateral agreement "had not been cleared during the clarification process."
"At this stage, it is obviously inopportune to press for a multi-lateral agreement on investment, when there are other more important issues (relating to development and the market access) for consideration of the WTO," Chandrasekhar said.
The next WTO meet at Cancun in Mexico is to be held from September 10 to 14.
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