Experts
today stressed on three major issues as Nepal's key focus – during the ninth
Ministerial Conference of World
Trade Organization (WTO) – as it relates to trade and development aspects of Least
Developed Countries (LDCs).
Speaking at
'Stakeholders’ dialogue on Nepal’s Participation at the 9th WTO
Ministerial Conference,' jointly organised by Ministry of Commerce and
Supplies, South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) and
Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), here today,
they said that Nepal should focus the dialogue on three pillars – agriculture,
trade facilitation and development dimension, that includes least-developed
country (LDC) issues – at the Bali meet to be held on December 3-6.
Given the
current trade off between trade facilitation and agriculture between developed country
members and developing countries, mainly India, there are concerns that Bali
might not be able to deliver results.
"Nevertheless,
Nepal, which is also the coordinator of the LDC Group, should demand that there
be a deal at least on the LDC package, which would consist of 100 per cent duty
free and quota free market access, preferential rules of origin, operationalisation
of services waiver and special and differential treatment," they suggested
Commerce and Supplies minister Shankar Prasad Koirala, who is leading the
Nepali delegation to the Ministerial Conference.
On the trade
facilitation agreement, there was a broad consensus that the agreement should
have provisions on binding commitments from developed country members to
provide dedicated financial and technical resources to LDCs to implement the
provisions of the agreement, they reminded, adding that on agriculture,
although the issues at stake currently are not very important for Nepal, from a
long term perspective, Nepal’s position should be in line with the G33 proposal
on food security.
Nepal’s ambassador
to the WTO Dr Shankar Bairagi, on the occasion, provided an overview of the
state of negotiations in Geneva and the package that LDC members have worked
out and provided to the WTO.
He also pointed
to the difficulty that Nepal, as the chair of the LDC Group, has had to face in
reconciling all LDC members’ differing interests and concerns.
About 55
participants, including trade policy experts, policymakers, and private sector
representatives participated in the dialogue that provided important inputs to
the delegation that is leaving for Bali on Saturday.
Responding
the experts suggestions, Koirala assured the participants that he and his team
would put in all possible efforts at Bali and try to ensure that the outcomes
are in favour of LDCs like Nepal.
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