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HYDERBAD, Jan.8

THE Doha Development Agenda and successive rounds of parleys are crucial for mutlilateralism. And multilateralism itself provides a crucial test for the success of WTO negotiations, according to Dr Supachai Panitchpakdi, Director-General of the World Trade Organisation.

Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday at the Partnership Summit, Dr Panitchpakdi said if Cancun talks fail, it would mean we have failed. Therefore, this experiment to build consensus is absolutely crucial. To complete the missing part of this huge jigsaw puzzle, these discussions will help us bring in the necessary consensus.

Out of the three-year deadline towards a new approach, already one year is over. We just have about two years left to thrash out several issues. Unless we do this before 2004, we will have to cope up with elections in some big economies across the globe. Therefore to be on the safe side, we will have to achieve a breakthrough by 2004, he explained.

However, he added that the key players of the Doha Development Agenda have agreed to conclude the negotiations by January 1, 2005.

He said the Doha work programme was the most ambitious, including negotiations on agriculture, services, market access for no-agricultural goods, transnational trade agreements, trade facilitation and environment. It was crucial to make substantial progress now, he added.

With regard to a question that the WTO negotiations are by and large dominated by the US, Dr Panitchpakdi said this was not true. We are not only talking to them, but are building consensus on this issue from the EU and various developing nations on various issues. The challenge is to see how we can make arrangement for a fully inclusive progress. The effort is also directed towards making the entire process totally transparent. Therefore, we are also encouraging smaller groups to articulate their views collectively. Take the case of some African countries; though they have nothing in common, they have chosen the path to express their views collectively and represent.

Likewise, India has gained importance in articulating its viewpoint. India has always taken a leadership role in WTO talks. It must help to contribute in our search for the final solution, mainly because it is an important player. India must not underestimate its capability to negotiate, he said.

India has been one of the more central and influential players in the multilateral trading system and has become a champion of developing country interests. It has fought hard for development agenda and succeeded. We have reached a crucial stage in negotiations, and we need India's constructive engagement and leadership to help guide the Doha development agenda towards a successful conclusion that would benefit all members.

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