WTO unlikely to discuss S'pore issues

Fitri Wulandari, The Jakarta Post, London

Member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) may not discuss issues related to investment and competition policy at a key meeting on Dec. 15, and will focus on agriculture and non- agriculture market access.

WTO spokesman Keith Rockwell said members were not ready to begin negotiation on topics linking trade, investment and competition policy, which are on the list of so-called "Singapore issues", because the majority of its 146 members do not deem them sufficiently important.

The Singapore issues, which emerged during the first WTO ministerial summit in Singapore in 1996, are among those major issues that stalled global trade negotiations in September in Cancun, Mexico.

"Some think it should not be negotiated at this meeting, and others think it should not be negotiated at all," Rockwell said from WTO headquarters in Geneva during a recent teleconference with Reuters journalism training center, London.

However, Rockwell said members were interested in trade facilitation and transparency of government procurement, two topics included in the Singapore issues.

He said members could begin negotiating these topics, but needed to make a decision on how to proceed.

"Our members believe facilitating trade is a good thing. The question is how to do it and under what modalities," he said.

The Singapore issues -- trade and investment, trade and competition policy, trade facilitation and transparency of government procurement -- have been widely criticized by developing countries and those who oppose global trade practices, as they hurt the interests of poor and developing nations.

A coalition of anti-global trade non-governmental organizations in Indonesia argued that, for instance, wider access for foreign investors to bid on government procurement would only cut local companies' chances to win the bid.

Rockwell said there was some level of optimism from all WTO members that trade negotiation must recommence.

"This is a viewpoint widely held by members. It is the starting point from where the meeting will progress," he said.

While some Singapore issues would stay off the negotiation table, Rockwell said the WTO would try to pick up negotiations from the remaining issues of the failed Cancun meeting on agriculture and non-agriculture market access.

"We are working to get negotiations back on track towards the establishment of a framework for agriculture and non-agriculture market access. We can build momentum again."

However, Rockwell said there would not be any resolutions any time soon, because the issues had been difficult and involved political decisions many countries were not ready to take.

"In the WTO, progress is measured in centimeters and not kilometers," he remarked.

The upcoming meeting in Geneva is also to discuss the cotton initiative, an issue which was raised in June.