Cheers, Ken Hanly
Ulhas Joglekar wrote:
> Business Standard
> India not yielding: Moore
> (Thursday, January 13, 2000)
> Our Trade Correspondent in New Delhi
>
> World Trade Organisation (WTO) director-general Mike Moore said New Delhi
> was not showing any signs whatsoever of softening its stand on social issues
> like labour and environment in his discussions with Union ministers.
>
> "India has very strong views on issues of social policy. No, I did not sense
> any softening. But if I had, I would not tell you," Moore told a gathering
> of newspersons after his meetings day before yesterday.
>
> He added that there had been no change yet in the American or European stand
> on possible agenda items for a new trade round since the Seattle summit, but
> he felt that "there had to be a cooling period".
>
> On environment, he pointed out that a committee already existed under the
> WTO and that no harm had been done to trade and developing countries by the
> existence of the committee.
>
> On the last day of his visit to India, Moore met Union commerce and industry
> minister Murasoli Maran and finance minister Yashwant Sinha. He will be
> visiting the US and the European Union as part of an effort to build a
> consensus among members. "India is a core member that will be critical -
> sooner or later - to the success of a new round," he said.
>
> On greater transparency in the way the WTO is run, Moore said, "We have to
> revisit how we do things." However, he pointed out that several ambassadors
> felt that nothing needs to be done and that it was not the system that was
> at fault, but the agenda.
>
> On whether the WTO should stick to trade-related issues, Moore said, "My
> view is that WTO must do what its members say. One member feels that
> anti-dumping must be on the agenda, another feels that labour is critical;
> the countries have the right to put the issues on the agenda. Nobody,
> including the DG (director-general) of the WTO, can tell a country what is
> important to its interests."
>
> "I'm Mr Bland. I have no opinion," Moore added.
>
> He argued that change was the main reason behind the growing resentment
> towards the WTO. "We are going through a fundamental reshaping of economic
> activity in the world. We are seeing something bigger than we realise. There
> is enormous anxiety. There has never been a greater feeling of anxiety." He
> said the WTO is getting picked on because it pulled 134 ministers together.
> "We are a democratic body."