New Delhi, December 04: WTO negotiations will re-commence from January in Geneva to narrow differences between the rich and the developing countries over a global trade deal, Commerce Minister Anand Sharma said today.
“We have been informed by the Director General WTO (Pascal Lamy) that beginning January, horizontal negotiations will start and after three months…we hope the gaps will be closed to a large extent,” Sharma told reporters here after his return from Geneva.
Sharma led India’s negotiating team at the meeting of 153 trade ministers at the headquarters of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
Though the meeting was not meant for hard bargains, the eight-year-old Doha Round dominated the discussions during the three-day deliberations, both in the official format and the bilateral engagements.
Sharma, also met several key interlocutors, including US Trade Representative Ron Kirk, EU Trade Commissioner Catherine Ashton and Australian Trade Minister Simon Crean.
–Agencies