WTO unlikely to discuss S'pore issues<\/p>\n
Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, London<\/p>\n
Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) may not
\ndiscuss issues related to investment and competition policy at a
\nkey meeting on Dec. 15, and will focus on agriculture and non-
\nagriculture market access.<\/p>\n
WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell said members were not ready to
\nbegin negotiation on topics linking trade, investment and
\ncompetition policy, which are on the list of so-called \"Singapore
\nissues\", because the majority of its 146 members do not deem them
\nsufficiently important.<\/p>\n
The Singapore issues, which emerged during the first WTO
\nministerial summit in Singapore in 1996, are among those major
\nissues that stalled global trade negotiations in September in
\nCancun, Mexico.<\/p>\n
\"Some think it should not be negotiated at this meeting, and
\nothers think it should not be negotiated at all,\" Rockwell said
\nfrom WTO headquarters in Geneva during a recent teleconference
\nwith Reuters journalism training center, London.<\/p>\n
However, Rockwell said members were interested in trade
\nfacilitation and transparency of government procurement, two
\ntopics included in the Singapore issues.<\/p>\n
He said members could begin negotiating these topics, but
\nneeded to make a decision on how to proceed.<\/p>\n
\"Our members believe facilitating trade is a good thing. The
\nquestion is how to do it and under what modalities,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The Singapore issues -- trade and investment, trade and
\ncompetition policy, trade facilitation and transparency of
\ngovernment procurement -- have been widely criticized by
\ndeveloping countries and those who oppose global trade practices,
\nas they hurt the interests of poor and developing nations.<\/p>\n
A coalition of anti-global trade non-governmental
\norganizations in Indonesia argued that, for instance, wider
\naccess for foreign investors to bid on government procurement
\nwould only cut local companies' chances to win the bid.<\/p>\n
Rockwell said there was some level of optimism from all WTO
\nmembers that trade negotiation must recommence.<\/p>\n
\"This is a viewpoint widely held by members. It is the
\nstarting point from where the meeting will progress,\" he said.<\/p>\n
While some Singapore issues would stay off the negotiation
\ntable, Rockwell said the WTO would try to pick up negotiations
\nfrom the remaining issues of the failed Cancun meeting on
\nagriculture and non-agriculture market access.<\/p>\n
\"We are working to get negotiations back on track towards the
\nestablishment of a framework for agriculture and non-agriculture
\nmarket access. We can build momentum again.\"<\/p>\n
However, Rockwell said there would not be any resolutions any
\ntime soon, because the issues had been difficult and involved
\npolitical decisions many countries were not ready to take.<\/p>\n
\"In the WTO, progress is measured in centimeters and not
\nkilometers,\" he remarked.<\/p>\n
The upcoming meeting in Geneva is also to discuss the cotton
\ninitiative, an issue which was raised in June.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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