Source: AFP
The 13th World Trade Organization (MC13) ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi entered its final scheduled day on Thursday, with major issues still stuck in the weeds.
The WTO meeting in the United Arab Emirates capital began on Monday with major disagreements among the organization’s 164 member states on key issues.
They include fisheries subsidies, agriculture and a moratorium on customs duties on digital transactions, which dominated the agenda of the talks.
As of Thursday morning, there were no major signs of a breakthrough, with the official session ending originally scheduled for 20:00 (16:00 GMT) until midnight (2000 GMT).
“Everybody is working with a very positive outlook…to try to see what is the maximum we can achieve,” India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal told reporters.
“I’m very confident…we will come out with significant results, particularly when it comes to sectors that concern very large numbers” of developing countries, he added.
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Eyes are trained on compromises as part of a possible package deal that could allow for greater convergence, as happened during the 2022 ministerial meeting in Geneva.
A new fisheries agreement was initially seen as the most likely outcome of the talks. But Goyal said on Thursday that “it is very difficult to reach a solution”.
A draft text of an agreement that was due to be released on Wednesday is still facing delays, said a source close to the negotiations who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The overall negotiations “look a bit like a rollercoaster,” the same source said.
Another sticking point is the extension of the e-commerce moratorium.
Since 1998, WTO members have agreed not to impose customs duties on electronic transactions.
The moratorium has been extended at most ministerial meetings since then, but objections from India and South Africa now put it in jeopardy.
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Asked if India would settle for an extension, Goyal said “let’s see what others do”.
However, he warned that an extension cannot be “taken for granted”.
On food security, Goyal said she was “confident” that progress could be made on permanent rules governing the maintenance of government food stocks – a key demand of India.
A “solution can be reached,” Goyal said.
Source: AFP