Doha deal of strategic importance to India:PM

London, Apr 1 (PTI) Ahead of the G-20 Summit, Indian
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said that a positive outcome
of the Doha Round of WTO talks for a global trade deal is of
strategic interest to India.

"I have repeatedly stated that India has a strategic
stake in the successful functioning of the multilateral
trading system and in a positive outcome of the Doha Round,"
Singh said in an interview to British daily 'The Financial
Times'.

With global trade expected to shrink drastically in 2009,
the issue of increasing protectionism is expected to come up
for an intense discussion at the summit in London among the
leaders of the advanced and developing economies which account
for over 80 per cent of the multilateral trade.

Asked to react to the US blaming India for failure of the
July 2008 round of WTO talks in Geneva, the Prime Minister
said, "There is no truth in the charge that India is
responsible for the deadlock ...".

He said there were many areas of differences between
different groups of countries, including between the US and
the Europe. It was also true that differences on a vast number
of areas were narrowed. The negotiators just did not have
enough time," he said referring to the July talks which
collapsed.

"In our case the differences related to sensitive issue
affecting the livelihood of small and vulnerable farmers,"
Singh said, adding India took "onerous obligations" in the
1990s to bring the WTO into existence.

But he insisted that the final deal has to address the
development objectives of the Doha Round.

The trade talks running into the ninth year have not been
able to sew up a multilateral agreement as neither developed
nor developing countries are willing to give away their turf,
while seeking increased global markets for their own products.
PTI RR
SAK
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