RI to include experts in WTO negotiation team

RI to include experts in WTO negotiation team

Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The government is planning to appoint several experts as
members of the national negotiating team for the World Trade
Organization's (WTO) round talks, according to a senior official
at the trade and industry ministry.

"The appointment of the experts is part of our efforts to
strengthen our position in the upcoming WTO round talks," Herry
Soetanto, director for multilateral cooperation told The Jakarta
Post.

He refused to name the experts, but sources said the ministry
had proposed three names to President Megawati Soekarnoputri for
approval: noted economists Djisman Simandjuntak, Mari Pangestu
and former Indonesian ambassador to the WTO Hasan Kartadjoemena.

Herry said that the appointment of the experts was in line
with the government's plan to revise existing presidential decree
No.18/2001, signed by former president Abdurrahman Wahid, on the
national negotiating team for the WTO talks.

"We hope the new decree can be issued before June this year,"
he said.

The national team of negotiators for the WTO round talks will
be chaired by Minister of Industry and Trade Rini M. Soewandi, he
said.

Herry said several directors general from all departments
would be included as new team members.

Halida Miljani, who is a senior official at the ministry, will
continue her function as the country's ambassador to the WTO.

The current WTO negotiation team, formed during the
Abdurrahman administration, as well as the previous ones,
consisted of only government officials and the representative of
the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. And none of the
teams included experts.

Nongovernmental organizations (NGO) have often criticized the
country's WTO negotiation team for its "poor" performance during
WTO meetings.

They also blamed the teams for failing to articulate the
people's interest during the meetings.

The 142 member countries of the WTO agreed last year in Qatar
to launch the Doha round talks to lower barriers to trade in
goods, services and agricultural products.

The WTO members have started meetings in Geneva to prepare for
the Doha round talks.

Herry said the preparatory meeting would last for several
months and he predicted the WTO members would start talking about
trading issues in June this year.

Indonesia is now being represented by Halida during the
preparatory talks, while the national negotiating team will leave
for Geneva shortly before the trade talks begin.

The WTO has given its members until June this year to submit
their position regarding the service sector, which the world's
trade body seeks to liberalize, he said.

The Indonesian team will state the country's position
regarding the service issue during the meeting, Herry said, but
he refused to provide details.

Developing countries mostly seek to protect their service
sector from foreign investors for fear of the sector being
dominated by companies from developed countries.