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WTO Council may meet in July
March 10, 2004 15:03 IST
The World Trade Organisation General Council is likely to meet in the third week of July to consider the Framework on Agriculture.
The three-day General Council may also turn into a kind of a 'Mini-Ministerial' with key trade ministers including those from India, Brazil, the European Union and the United States expected to participate in the meeting.
The proposed Framework is expected to be readied by June, which would be a skeletal arrangement carved out from the drafts, which were earlier presented by US-EU and G-20, without indicative definite numbers.
But the response of developing countries including India would depend on the agri-negotiations beginning later this month.
These countries have maintained that their response would depend upon what was being offered on the table, official sources told PTI in New Delhi.
The G-20 is pressing for a firm date with regard to export subsidy phase-out in the Framework itself.
The grouping, which includes India, China, Brazil, South Africa among others has not found palatable, the EU suggestion of giving a list of products on which for subsidies would be phase-out.
The US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick had met key trade ministers including Commerce Minister Arun Jaitley, EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy and Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Celso Amorim for restarting the trade talks and several countries have expressed their willingness to move forward.