The Hindu Business Line : India to host Intl Textiles, Clothing Bureau meet

WITH the curtain on the multi-fibre arrangement governing global trade in textiles and clothing coming down by the year-end to usher in a quota-free regime, New Delhi will host the annual session of the International Textiles and Clothing Bureau (ITCB), an intergovernmental organisation comprising exporters from developing countries.

The three-day event, beginning on April 5 here, will feature the Member-Secretary, Planning Commission, Mr N.K. Singh, who has headed a committee for suggesting fiscal incentives to attract investment in the country's textile sector.

Briefing presspersons here on the event, the Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Mr K.K. Jalan, said ITCB is dedicated to securing the elimination of discriminatory restrictions and protectionism directed against its members' exports.

In doing so, it seeks the full application of normal GATT/WTO rules and disciplines to international trade in the sector.

ITCB currently has 25 permanent members, including India, China, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Mexico, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China and Brazil.

Mr Jalan said the New Delhi session assumes significance as there are just eight months left for the advent of the quota-free regime beginning on January 1, 2005.

He said the members might have the opportunity of discussing the residual ATC (Agreement on Textiles and Clothing) issues and ways and means for guarding against non-tariff and other forms of disguised protection.

On the possibility of developed countries clamping down new barriers in the form of export certification or visa for the entry of a developing-country's textile and clothing exports to the rich world, he said ITCB would study such threats to free trade and evolve a common response against such practices.

So far, the ITCB had been associated with quota restrictions, but of late it has been devoting attention to non-quota issues, such as those pertaining to anti-dumping and countervailing duties, tariffs, general safeguards, rules of origin, WTO in dispute cases and the ever-new procedural and performance requirements including those under pressure from non-governmental organisations, the official said.

Further, delegates from 25 members countries, three observer governments, observer organisations and importers' associations and other invitees, including the chairman, Textile Monitoring Body, would look at the possible changes in the organisation and its approach in the quota-free regime.

The inaugural meeting is to be attended by the Commerce Secretary, Mr Dipak Chatterjee; the Secretary, Textiles, Mr S.B. Mohaptra; and India's Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the WTO, Mr K.M. Chandrashekhar, who is the current chairman of the ITCB.

The last two meetings of the ITCB were held in Cairo in 2003 and Vietnam in 2002.