By IANS
New Delhi : The Doha round of global trade talks – stalled over the twin issues of farm subsidies and market access – is unlikely to be completed anytime soon, a senior Commerce ministry official said Thursday.
"The G4 talks have been breaking and a deal seems unlikely," the official told IANS, requesting anonymity.
Negotiators belonging to the powerful Group of Four trading partners (G4) – the United States, European Union, India and Brazil – are currently meeting at Potsdam in Germany to try and hammer out a deal that would benefit millions of poor people in developing countries.
The secret talks, being held under the aegis of the Geneva-based World Trade Organization (WTO), are expected to continue until the end of this week. Heading the Indian delegation is Commerce and Industry Minister Kamal Nath.
Negotiations in the so-called Doha Development Round, which began in 2001, have been marred by the slow pace of progress shown by rich countries in lowering their huge farm subsidies, which distort global agricultural prices and disadvantage developing country farmers.
Differences and disagreements are also mounting over the issue of 'market access' – the high tariffs imposed by rich nations on industrial goods produced by developing countries.
Others participating in the Potsdam meeting are EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, US Trade Representative Susan Schwab and Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim.
"Pressure is growing on all sides," German Economics Minister Michael Glos said Wednesday, pointing out that the EU was holding parallel sessions on the possibility of establishing a free trade agreement with India.
According to Mandelson, the Potsdam meeting could prove to be significant in deciding whether or not the stalled Doha talks can be brought to a successful conclusion.
The talks, which began in the Qatar capital of Doha in 2001, were expected to have been completed by 2004, but have been held up by intransigence on the part of developed countries.