Doha Round Must Still Continue
Thursday, 22 February, 2007 | 15:50 WIB

TEMPO Interactive, Jakarta: The World Trade Organization (WTO) has stated that it will continue the Doha Round discussions as sluggish negotiations will have an impact on multilateral trade.

According to Pascal Lamy, WTO Director General, the consequence of the failure of the Doha Round discussions will be to affect multilateral trade.

“The impact will be far greater,” he said yesterday (21/2), however, he refused to explain the impact of the failure of the discussions.

Pascal stated his appreciation of Indonesia and other G33 developing countries in fighting for agricultural product market access in developed countries.

“I consider Indonesia and the G33 to be positive. Their efforts to create justice in trade need support because without justice, WTO discussions would be useless,” he said.

The Doha Round or Doha Declaration was concluded in November, 2001 in Doha, Qatar, and attended by 142 countries.

The declaration was a new round of negotiations on trade services, agricultural products, industrial tariffs, the environment, implementation issues, intellectual property rights, dispute resolutions and WTO regulations.

In addition, it also deals with determining special products and sensitive producta as well as special safeguard mechanisms that developing countries want.

This is despite developed countries already prioritizing the opening of greater market access from developing countries.

Mari Elka Pangestu, Trade Minister and concurrently G33 Chairperson, said that the only way negotiations can continue is for developed countries to be willing to lower subsidies and agricultural product tariffs.

However, Indonesia, she said, will still ask for rice to be categorized as a special product.

RR Ariyani