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'Industry, govt must closely work on trade issues'

K M Chandrasekhar, India's ambassador and permanent representative at the World Trade Organisation was in India recently.

He spoke to reporters about the upcoming ministerial at Mexico, the issues involved and on what India can do to protect its interests. Excerpts:

When is the next ministerial likely to be held?

The next ministerial will be held in Mexico, either in July or in September. A final decision is yet to be taken. Mexico was chosen as the venue because it was the only country that offered to host the meeting.

What is the negotiating process like?

A trade negotiations committee has been set up. Negotiating bodies, which will deal with different issues, have also been set up and chairmen have been selected from among the ambassadors of various countries. Reports of working groups on issues to be negotiated will be sent to the negotiations committee.

The committee will discuss them and send the report to the general council while the non-negotiating issues will directly go to the general council.

The first meeting of the trade negotiations committee has already been held and the second meeting is slated for April 24. An important change that has been introduced post-Doha is that ground rules for the role of the chairperson and the director-general have been clearly spelt out.

What is the likely impact of having the director-general as chairman of the negotiations committee?

There are certain advantages of having the director-general in the ex-officio capacity of the chairman. The entire secretariats' facilities are available to him. The director-general has a role in ensuring that all inputs are available to negotiators.

Also, with the director-general as the chairman, there is a degree of continuity which would not be there if we had chosen an ambassador as the chairman. Ambassadors are transferred frequently and this causes problems.

The director-general designate is an Asian. Will this help developing countries in negotiations?

It is difficult to anticipate the stand he will take. Since he comes from a developing country, we expect him to have a better understanding of the developing countries' issues.

However, it must be said current chairman Mike Moore, who is from New Zealand, also displayed an understanding of issues concerning the developing countries. Mike Moore's tenure expires on August 31. He will be succeeded by Supachai from Thailand.

How is the like-minded group of countries approaching the negotiations?

The like-minded group fairly represents the developing countries in Asia, Africa and South America. Besides India, there are 14 members. We propose to hold a ministerial in September to firm up the consensus on important issues. A meeting of senior-level officials is also proposed to be held.

In addition, there has been a change in the way the like-minded group functions. Expert-level meetings are held every week in which analysts from organisations like the UNCTAD and the World Intellectual Property Organisation are invited. Weekly meetings of ambassadors are also held.

What are the issues under discussion?

Under the Doha agenda, working groups have been set up on investment, competition policy, government procurement, trade and transfer of technology, trade debt and finance, agriculture, services, environment and dispute settlement.

In addition, several new negotiating bodies on anti-dumping, anti-subsidy, regional trade agreements and fishery subsidy have been constituted. These bodies will hold special sessions as part of the Doha work programme.

Are developing countries well represented in the working groups?

Yes, developing countries have been given a fair representation in the working groups. The ambassador of China and Hong Kong is heading the group on agriculture, the Chilean ambassador is heading the group on services. Jamaica is heading the group on outstanding issues relating to special and preferential treatment. Brazil is heading the group on investment and Costa Rica is heading the group on the government procurement.

The group on trade and environment is headed by Gabon. The group on market access for non-farm goods is headed by Switzerland and that on WTO rules by New Zealand. The working group on dispute settlement is headed by Hungary.

How important is China in this entire process?

China is a recent entrant and its position is still evolving. The Chinese ambassador has just arrived in Geneva. China has attended one expert-level meeting of the like-minded group.

However, it is not possible to say anything about the country's stand on various issues at this stage. It has, however, come in with a strong mission of 15 diplomats, against the Indian mission's strength of six.

How can Indian industry gear up to protect its interests?

Industry must interact closely with the government to ensure that India's concerns regarding the issues related to trade are reflected in WTO negotiations.

We need inputs three to four weeks in advance as it gives us time to contact other countries, refine our position and establish a unified stand.

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