WTO unlikely to discuss S'pore issues
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.